Scientists under the aegis of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria in Cross River State have called on the Federal Government to urgently put in place effective emergency response mechanism to prevent the outbreak of the Ebola virus in the country.
They made their position known on Tuesday at a one-day workshop in Calabar titled, ‘Ebola Virus: An emerging global challenge.’
Chairman of the association, Gloria Archibong, said it had become imperative for the Nigeria public to be properly educated as the threat was on the increase daily.
She appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that mechanisms were put in place to check the virus in the country.
She said, “If the virus has come as close as Ghana, and there has been report of another Liberian who flew into the country, then it is only wise for us to put effective emergency response mechanism in place and also enlighten the people on its prevention because the virus has no cure for now.
“I also want to believe that the virus is not here. But the reason why Cross River may be at risk is because we actually have bat eating communities and we are a bush meat eating people too.
“Fruits, bats and monkeys are the major reservoirs of the virus, the Federal Government really needs to sensitise our people.”
Also speaking, a consultant microbiologist at the University of Calabar, Prof. Michael Useh, said it was time for Nigeria to take the threat of the various serious.
“It is possible for the virus to come into the country due to the nature of the outbreak, which was discovered in 1976 and has since been occurring and recurring. It is important we put measures in place to fight it.
“If it can come to Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana, then we must be prepared. We must rigorously enlighten Nigerians because the mortality rate of the virus is about 90 per cent and it has no known cure for now.
“Some species of bat are responsible for the virus. Even though we have not carried out epidemiology test, we have high rain forest zones and when this virus was first discovered, it was carried by bats in a rainforest zone,” Useh said.
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