Ebola: Egboja Urges Nigerians to Improve Hygiene, Seek Early Medical Attention

Public health specialist, Dr Isaac Egboja, has urged Nigerians to intensify personal hygiene, maintain clean environments and seek prompt medical attention whenever they develop symptoms that could indicate a serious infection.

Egboja gave the advice while speaking on Good Morning Nigeria, an NTA programme, against the backdrop of the Ebola case recently reported in Nigeria.

He urged Nigerians to learn from the country’s experience during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic by taking personal hygiene more seriously, particularly frequent handwashing.

According to him, handwashing should not be seen as a practice reserved for healthcare workers, stressing that infectious diseases do not discriminate between doctors and other members of the public.

Egboja also called for vigilance among families, advising Nigerians not to dismiss symptoms such as fever, sore throat, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort or general weakness as ordinary malaria or flu.

He advised families to take anyone presenting such symptoms to the nearest health facility rather than keeping the person at home, noting that the illness could be more serious than initially assumed.

The public health specialist further recommended the use of hand sanitisers, particularly where clean water is unavailable, while urging Nigerians to remain vigilant as developments surrounding the reported Ebola case unfold.

He noted that, so far, only one case had been reported and expressed hope that it would remain an isolated case, adding that the reported infection was imported rather than acquired through community transmission.