Indications emerged yesterday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, that the Federal Government will not go back on primary and secondary schools reopening on September 22 as a result of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). This is even as the United States of America has rescinded its decision to donate 30 body scanners to Nigeria to help it combat the spread of EVD.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyeabuchi Chukwu, said Washington claimed its initial pledge was done in error. Instead, it has offered to donate only 30 hand-held infrared body temperature monitors.
He, however, said the private sector, prominent among them the Dangote Group, have donated 24 body scanners, the type promised by the U.S. and some have already been deployed across the country.
On schools’ resumption, Chukwu who briefed the council on the latest development on EVD, said there is no scientific basis for schools’ resumption to be postponed.
He noted that the government has not been properly briefed on why schools should not resume on September 22, urging that government be allowed to do its job which so far had been applauded by everybody including the international community since the index case, the late Patric Sawyer, a Liberian-American, exported the disease to Nigeria in July.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), had on Monday faulted the government’s directive to schools to resume on September 22 as against October 12 scheduled earlier.
It said through its Secretary- General, Dr. Olawunmi Alayaki, that all schools ought to remain shut till all those under surveillance for Ebola had been certified free.
“We are not happy with this decision on the resumption of schools. Schools should be shut till the last suspected case or patient is certified free of the virus,” the NMA said.
The group suggested that the resumption of schools could be shifted till December or early next year because if Ebola should spread to any school, it would “assume another dimension.”
It said, “We can shift the resumption date till next year or in the next three months if that is the time it would take. Government should have enough time to follow the standard procedure for containing the virus.
“Parents have no reason to be in a hurry because if Ebola should spread to any school, it will assume another dimension. Children cannot survive isolation like adults.
“Nigeria is peculiar because of her large population and we should be pragmatic and proactive. It will not augur well for the country if we have another outbreak due to carelessness.”
But Chukwu, briefing alongside the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, told State House correspondents that the date for resumption was agreed upon by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau and state commissioners for education.
On the NMA’s stance against the resumption date, Chukwu said, “ You have asked about NMA, the only information I had from NMA was that someone informed me that he had been appointed to head a committee being set up by the NMA on EVD. And I replied that person saying we welcomed that as a government and as Federal Ministry of Health, we look forward to collaboration.
“Now, collaboration doesn’t mean going to media. With all due respect. Collaboration means if they have information they should give it to the Federal Ministry of Health or the Centre for Disease Control. I have not received any such information, so if you are telling me what is in the media I would investigate. I’ll probably call them to let me know the basis of what they are saying through the media.
“The most important thing is that let’s work together but let’s be rational in whatever we are doing so that we don’t cause panic. Panic is not welcome in this business, otherwise, we will be in trouble.
Chukwu stated that no single new case of the Ebola virus had been recorded.
The minister confirmed the case of a student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, that had been sent to quarantined facility in Lagos, that had primary contact with the Port Harcourt-based, late Dr. Iyke Enemuo, who secretly treated Olu-Ibukun Koye, another ECOWAS official at a hotel in Port Harcourt.
Chuwku, who said the OAU student was being treated as a suspected case, commended the school authority particularly the Vice Chancellor for the procedure he adopted to report the case. The minister said it was the student who came out on her own to confirm that she had contact with the dead doctor. Because the vice chancellor followed the due process, she has been moved to Lagos and had been quarantined.
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