Ebola: Rivers, FG Clash On School Resumption Date

The Rivers State government and the Federal Government have clashed over the September 22, schools resumption date as the state government insisted that schools may not yet resume.

According to Vanguard, the state commissioner for Health, Dr Sampson Parker, who made this known on Wednesday, explained that schools in the state may not resume because of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD.

READ ALSO: Hold Jonathan Responsible If Ebola Spreads – APC

The commissioner also revealed that currently, there were about 340 persons under surveillance in the state. He said they want to be certain that the situation had been completely brought under control before schools would be allowed to resume.

In a related development, Nicholas Brunet, the Deputy Managing Director, Total E&P, Port Harcourt district, who donated an ambulance and two pickup trucks to the government on behalf of the oil company, described the outbreak of EVD in some West Africa countries as a big challenge to the world.

Meanwhile, Daily Independent had earlier reported that the commissioner for Health, Sampson Parker, said the state government, in collaboration with Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) on Ebola in the state, has earmarked a whooping sum of N1 billion to combat the dreaded Ebola virus disease in the state.

READ ALSO: EBOLA: My Survival Story – Dr. Ada Igonoh Recounts Ordeal

The EOC comprise state Ministry of Health and international partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

Meanwhile, Dan Nwomeh, the Special Assistant on Media and Communication to the Minister of Health in his tweets below confirmed that Ebola Virus has been brought under control in Nigeria.The deadly Ebola virus was brought into the country by the late American-Liberian Patrick Sawyer. It would be recalled that Federal Government had earlier announced that primary and secondary schools across the country should resume academic activities on 22 September, 2014. The disease has so far killed seven people across the country. The Nigerian Ministry of Health on September 2, 2014, announced the death of an elderly woman who contracted the deadly virus in Port Harcourt, while on admission in the same hospital wherelate Dr Enemoah died.

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Ebola: Governor Mimiko Reacts To Resumption Date

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has advised schools proprietors and parents to stop agitating for early resumption of schools across the country.

This was announced at the weekend in Akure, the state capital by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, at the public presentation/investiture ceremony of Mr. Bode Akinwumi as the 28th President of the Akure/Owena Lions Clubs for 2014-2015 Lions year, This Day reports.

READ ALSO: Medical Practitioners Advise Hospitals Over Ebola Virus

He said the governor urged parents and proprietors to allow the Federal Government exploit all necessary measures in ensuring that the country is free from the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Adeyanju further revealed that the state government has already put in place measures to contain the spread of the disease in the state. He urged residents to always abide by instruction from medical practitioners in order to avoid contracting the deadly disease.

The commissioner, who expressed optimism that Ebola will be fully contained, said there had been other deadly diseases that have come and gone in the past, and advised that all the was needed is for people to follow the instructions about the disease. He said residents should call if there is any suspicious case of Ebola, and pleaded to residents to always ask questions.

READ ALSO: Ebola: FG Bows To Negative Pressure

“If our students must go back to school, they should not go back in trouble, we should not forget that only one case in Lagos brought problem to the whole country, so there is need for us to be in a hurry about our children’s resumption date” he said.

Following the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria on July 20, 2014, the federal government in its effort to curb the disease from further spreading across the country, directed that school resumption across the country should be postponed.

The decision reportedly sparked a lot of reactions from schools proprietors and parents. On the September 13, 2014, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State cleared the air on theanticipated resumption date for public and private schools as directed by the Federal Government.

It would be recalled that Federal Government had earlier announced that primary and secondary schools across the country should resume academic activities on 22 September,2014

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OAU Student Evacuated To Lagos Over Ebola

Information just reaching us indicates that academic and social activities were paralysed at Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, western Nigeria on Tuesday, 9 September, 2014, following news that one of the students admitted at the university’s teaching hospital showed signs of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD.

Vanguard online reports that shortly after the news broke, the management of the institution informed newsmen that the student had been evacuated to Lagos, where she is expected to undergo Ebola screening.

[caption id="attachment_995" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Main gate at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun.[/caption]

It was gathered that prior to this development, it was rumoured in most parts of Osun State on Tuesday that a female student of OAU contracted the deadly Ebola virus and had been admitted at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital OAUTH, Ile-Ife.

Speaking on the matter, a student of the university, who craved anonymity, told newsmen that the alleged student returned from Port Harcourt in Rivers State on Monday and on Tuesday, she was rushed to the university’s health centre from where she was referred to the OAUTH after showing symptoms of EVD.

The source stated that the “rumour” however spread quickly as parents and guardians of students of OAU started making contacts with their wards over the development.

Another source, however, told Vanguard that a patient who claimed to be student of OAU was admitted at the hospital but failed to explain whether the patient was diagnosed of EVD.

Commenting on the Ebola scare, OAU’s Public Relations Officer, PRO, Mr. Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the rumoured outbreak of EVD in the university was false as it was yet to be clinically proved.

Olanrewaju said the female student was discovered to have had primary contact with an EVD victim in Port Harcourt, stressing that she fell sick when she arrived the university and was rushed to OAUTHC.

The spokesman confirmed that the student had been evacuated to Lagos, where she would undergo thorough screening to verify if she had actually contracted the disease.

Olanrewaju assured that there was no established case of EVD in OAU until the result of the diagnosis to be carried out on the suspected student was released, urging the university community and the entire people of Ife town not entertain any fear over the development.

The Ebola virus is believed to have killed no fewer than seven people in both Lagos and Port Harcourt since the late Patrick Sawyer brought the dreaded disease to Nigeria on 20 July, 2014.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, estimates that over 2,000 have already died from the disease since it broke out early this year in West Africa.

Apart from Nigeria, other West African nations battling the Ebola virus are Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Senegal.

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See What Nollywood Actor Chidi Mokeme Says Should be Done to Ebola Victims

Do you agree with Chidi Mokeme on shooting Ebola victims at sight?

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