Physicians raise surveillance team on Ebola virus

Kwara state chapter of the National Association of Public Health Physicians yesterday said it had constituted a special surveillance team to detect emerging health diseases, especially those caused by vectors.

The team is to be on the look-out and sensitise public on some notable caused by insects including the emerging Ebola virus, Lassa fever, River blindness, malaria, yellow fever, (onchocerciasis), sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis), and dengue fever amongst others.
Briefing journalists during its activities lined up to mark the 2014 World Health Day in Ilorin, state chairman of the association, Dr. Adekunle Salaudeen, said the team consisted of over 50 members and were spread across the 16 local government areas of the state.

Salaudeen said the team was working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to achieve result.
The medical expert said the association was celebrating this year’s Day with the theme “Vector-borne Diseases: Small Bite, Big Threats” to sensitise the public on diseases caused by bites of insect and other small animals and how to prevent them.
He said: “Globally, more than half population is at risk of vector borne diseases while in sub-Sahara Africa almost the entire population is at risk of one vector born diseases or the other.

“This group of diseases is best prevented than been treated when the diseases are already established. Most effective ways to preventing the vector borne diseases is by preventing bites of these insect.
“This can be achieved by cleaning the surrounding around homes, cleaning of drainages, use of window nets, use of insecticide treated nets; appropriate clothing (long sleeved bright clothes) and insects’ repellants body lotion amongst others.”
He urged government, at all levels, to continue to provide intervention such as insecticide treated nets to the public.