The Delta State Government has set up a committee to educate the residents on the prevention and management of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who made the disclosure, urged the residents not to panic.
He said there was no identified case of the virus in the state, adding that seven hospitals had been designated as isolation centres to handle any suspected case, as part of the measures taken to prevent an outbreak of the disease in the state.
So far, the deadly Ebola virus has been limited to Lagos State with awareness and containment measures been put in place to curtail its spread.
Gov. Uduaghan, who was addressing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders’ from Delta North Senatorial Zone at Asaba, the state capital, said the committee set up by the state government comprises the Commissioners of Health, Information and Environment.
He said the committee had been inaugurated, adding that he would brief the residents on the measures taken to ensure that the virus does not enter the state.
Uduaghan said: “There is no Ebola virus in Delta State. It will not come to the state. We are doing everything possible to deal with the scourge. We have set up an inter-ministerial committee comprising the commissioners for Health, Environment and Information to sensitise and brief Deltans on the measures in place to tackle any outbreak in the state.
“We have designated seven hospitals in the state as isolation centres where any suspected cases will be managed. Also, every local government area has a contact person and there is a contact phone number – 32815 to which short messaging service (SMS) can be sent to report any suspected case”.
Uduaghan, a trained medical doctor, therefore, advised the people not to panic.
He said: “We require the cooperation of all Deltans to stop any outbreak in the state. We need to increase our personal hygiene: wash our hands regularly and use hand sanitisers. Those of you with relatives in any of the West African countries where there is an outbreak of Ebola virus, who need to bring in any body from there, should let us know so that we can ascertain the cause of death”.
