AN EXEMPLARY FEAT
Nigeria has been declared officially free of Ebola in what the WHO dubbed a spectacular success story.
In December 2013, the most widespread epidemic of the Ebola virus in history began in Guinea and quickly spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. The Ebola virus, an often-fatal illness transmitted to people from wild animals, which spreads among the human population through human-to-human transmission, was brought to Nigeria by Liberian diplomat Patrick Sawyer when he flew from Liberia to Lagos on July 20, 2014. Having collapsed at the airport, Sawyer was quickly isolated in Lagos' First Consultant Hospital, where he soon succumbed to the disease.
However, several Nigerians that had been in contact with Sawyer were infected with the virus. In total there were 19 confirmed cases and one probable case that stemmed from Sawyer's. Eight of these cases resulted in death, including the doctor who had first treated Sawyer and diagnosed him with the Ebola virus. The fact that Ebola had now been imported to Lagos sent shockwaves around the world. The WHO described Nigeria as “a powder keg for a disease outbreak." It was feared that the daily influx of workers to the city, combined with the crowded and unsanitary conditions that millions in the city live in, would provide an extremely fertile breeding ground for Ebola. The fact that it didn't is due to the efficient response of the Nigerian Federal Government in conjunction with international health organizations.
Nigeria has been battling polio until very recently and, as a result, the country has a strong polio surveillance system and an emergency command center, which the Federal Government used as a backbone for its immediate implementation of a coordinated approach that included the training of 1,800 health workers, who made 18,000 visits to 900 people suspected of having been in contact with a person diagnosed with the disease. This approach was coordinated from the Ebola emergency operation center in Lagos, which was the nexus between the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Médecins sans Frontières, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Isolation wards were immediately established, as were designated Ebola treatment facilities. Vehicles and mobile phones, with specially adapted programs, were made available to aid real-time reporting as the investigations moved forward. These factors combined contributed to an increased capacity of health workers to aggressively trace suspected cases and contacts across the entire country. Identified contacts were placed in isolation and monitored for 21 days, and contacts that tried to circumvent this procedure were tracked down by special intervention teams, who returned them to medical facilities for further monitoring.
The Federal Government embarked on a widespread information campaign to raise awareness for the disease, and more importantly, informed Nigerians of the kind of preventive and precautionary measures that they could undertake. Misinformation about possible cures for the disease was effectively censored, and teams of “social mobilizers" canvassed areas around the homes of Ebola contacts, reaching around an additional 26,000 households with health information.
In the end, the efforts of the Nigerian Federal Government to contain and eradicate the virus proved to be fruitful when there was no sign of new cases. As a result, the WHO declared Nigeria free of the Ebola virus on October 20, 2014, which is testament to the great achievements of all involved in combating the spread of the disease in Africa's most populous country. Defeating Ebola was certainly no small feat, especially considering the havoc that it is still wreaking in Nigeria's neighboring countries. It motivated the WHO to call Nigeria's response “a piece of world-class epidemiological detective work," and has moved others to say that Nigeria should serve as an example for other West African countries in their fight against the disease.
AN EXEMPLARY FEAT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Inside Perspective
HE Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria
HE Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, and President, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the potential of Nigeria's young population.
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Joseph I. Odumodu, Director General & Chief Executive, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)
TBY talks to Joseph I. Odumodu, Director General & Chief Executive of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), on the organization's mandate, its agenda for consistent national benchmarks, and on collaboration with foreign firms.
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Tunde J. Afolabi, Chairman & CEO, Amni International Petroleum Development Co. Ltd.
TBY talks to Tunde J. Afolabi, Chairman & CEO of Amni International Petroleum Development Company Limited, on the increasing numbers of indigenous firms in operation, and offshore opportunities.
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Markus Droll, Vice-President Nigeria & Gabon, Shell Exploration and Production Africa Limited
TBY talks to Markus Droll, Vice-President Nigeria & Gabon of Shell Exploration and Production Africa Limited, on Nigeria's production capability, and the growth potential of the natural gas industry.
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Aminu Jalal, Director General National Automotive Council , Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment
TBY talks to Aminu Jalal, Director General of the National Automotive Council (Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment), on the new national automotive policy and encouraging more affordable financing.
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Dr. Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice-Chairman & CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
TBY talks to Dr. Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice-Chairman & CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), on investment in the sector, the broadband services rollout, and support for indigenous companies.
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Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary & CEO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC)
TBY talks to Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary & CEO of the Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC), on being the economic regulator for the shipping industry and increasing port efficiency to attract more maritime trade.
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Akon Etim Eyakenyi, Hon. Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Federal Republic of Nigeria
TBY talks to Akon Etim Eyakenyi, Hon. Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, on meeting a growing demand for housing, engaging the private sector, and opportunities for foreign investment.
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Wolfgang Goetsch, Managing Director, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc
TBY talks to Wolfgang Goetsch, Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, on the contribution the company is making to Nigeria's infrastructure development and to local employment, as well as the challenge of constructing the new Second Niger Bridge.
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Hugh Glyn-Jones, Managing Director Agro Allied Division, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc.
TBY talks to Hugh Glyn-Jones, Managing Director Agro Allied Division Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc., on food production, backward integration along the value chain, and Nigeria's Agriculture Transformation Agenda.
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Prince Emmanuel I. Ajayi D.Sc (hons), CEO & Managing Director, Swiss Biostadt Limited
TBY talks to Prince Emmanuel I. Ajayi D.Sc (hons), CEO & Managing Director of Swiss Biostadt Limited, on improving agricultural technology, increasing access to advanced medical treatment, and partnering with foreign investors.
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Sally Mbanefo, Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)
TBY talks to Sally Mbanefo, Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), on reaching out to the private sector to collaborate on building tourism in-country, the unique features Nigeria has to offer visitors, and promoting tourism to the domestic market.
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Theophilus Ifeanyichukwu Emuwa, Chair of the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group, ǼLEX
TBY talks to Theophilus Ifeanyichukwu Emuwa, Chair of the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group of ǼLEX on keeping pace with the legal universe to best serve clients and the new commercial landscape.
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