The House of Representatives has called for stronger disease surveillance and emergency response measures to prevent the possible spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria.
The call was made during a public hearing organised by the House Joint Committee on Infectious Diseases, Healthcare Services, Aviation and Interior to examine the need for improved preventive and emergency medical measures against a potential Ebola outbreak.
Speaking at the hearing, the committee’s lead chairman, Amobi Ogah, said the exercise was aimed at identifying gaps in the country’s emergency healthcare response system and ensuring that relevant institutions were adequately prepared to manage public health threats.
Ogah stressed that effective disease prevention and control required sustained funding, strong institutional collaboration, transparency and accountability.
Also speaking, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, represented by Billy Osawaru, said Nigeria’s preparedness against Ebola should not depend on whether the country was facing an immediate threat.
He emphasised the importance of maintaining effective preventive measures and strengthening emergency response capacity to address potential outbreaks.
Meanwhile, the Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Sylvester Nwakuche, warned that an Ebola outbreak in custodial centres could have severe consequences for inmates, correctional officers and surrounding communities.
Nwakuche called for the formal integration of the Nigeria Correctional Service into national and sub-national public health emergency response frameworks to ensure that correctional facilities are adequately covered by disease prevention and control measures.
