The Federal Government on Tuesday
demonstrated its commitment to stamping out Ebola Virus Disease in
Africa, with President Muhammadu Buhari announcing a donation of US$1
million to the continent.
This is in addition to earlier contributions by Nigeria to stem the disease in the region.
The gesture is to also underscore the importance of ridding the continent of Ebola and in the spirit of mutual assistance.
A statement by the Director of Press and
Public Relations in the Ministry of Health, Mrs. Ayo Adesugba, said
Buhari announced the donation during the international conference of
African Ministers of Health in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
The President, who was represented by
the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, used
the forum to share Nigeria’s experience in 2014, in rapidly containing
the deadly virus.
He
however said, “Nigeria is not celebrating the end of Ebola in Nigeria
until this disease is totally eliminated from the West African region.
This is because Ebola in one country remains also a threat to another.
Therefore, meeting the challenge is crucial to us right now and so we
remain committed to support all efforts of the African Union in this
fight.”
Along this line, according to him,
Nigeria is in full support of the establishment of the African Centre
for Disease Control, working with the regional centre, which he said,
would significantly enhance health targets to build the International
Health Regulations Capacities.
Buhari observed that ECOWAS region was
the first to take the initiative of establishing a regional Centre for
Disease Control in which the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control was
designed as the regional centre in recognition of its role in curtailing
the spread of the disease in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
He stated that Nigeria was supporting
research efforts in developing therapies and vaccines against the
disease, adding that the efforts were leading to the development of
promising Ebola therapies through partnership between government and
private sector.
The President recalled that Nigeria
welcomed the AU Peace and Security Council’s decision taken during its
450th meeting on August 19 2014, to support the Ebola affected countries
in West Africa through the Africa Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in
West Africa by deploying volunteers.
He remarked that Nigeria was among the
first countries to respond, by deploying 198 personnel who served in the
ASEOWA mission, which contributed to the progress made in the affected
countries by reducing Ebola cases from about 400 per week in 2014 to
less than 30 in 2015.
Buhari observed that the success might
have informed governments and partners to embark on disengaging or
reducing their support in human and material resources, even though the
mission of the ASEOWA to stop Ebola transmission in the affected member
states, prevent international spread and rebuild health systems had not
been fully achieved.
He stressed that the recent upsurge of
cases in Sierra Leone and Guinea and the reappearance of cases in
Liberia, after being certified Ebola-free by the World Health
Organisation, confirmed that Africa was dealing with regional and
international health security emergencies of larger proportions.
Buhari therefore called on the African
Union Commission to reconsider the immediate redeployment of volunteers
to the affected countries, “until the job is done.”
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