Ebola: Enugu Airport, WHO Collaborate on Sensitization
The management of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, says the World Health Organisation recently held talks with all the agencies operating within the airport as part of efforts to contain the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease.
The Airport Manager, AIIA, Mr. Mgbemena Orjiako, said the sensitisation was not limited to the EVD alone but also on other communicable diseases that could be transmitted by air passengers.
He said the airport management had since commenced thermal and body screening of all passengers passing through the airport.
He added, “Air travel is the quickest means of moving around from continent to continent. So, if there is a contagious disease of such magnitude, it can easily move from country to country.
“So, WHO has been here and has equally assisted us in giving talks on how to tackle it; what to watch out for, and what to do to prevent the spread.”
Orjiako said the Port Health Authority, in collaboration with other agencies at the airport, had held an emergency meeting where they carefully planned how to forestall the spread of the EVD at the airport in case of any eventualities.
He said, “Enugu airport is very serious on monitoring and controlling the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo because international flights are coming into the airport three times a week. The airport has also created an area where we can take away any passenger discovered to have an abnormal temperature.
“There is an area in the arrival hall where we keep them and also check their temperature discreetly while they are coming in without their knowing. We also have sanitisers in different corners at the airport where people can wash up.”
According to Orjiako, there is always a joint monitoring of the movement of passengers into the airport every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
“We pay greater attention to those moving into the airport because most of them may be coming from Addis Ababa but they may be transiting from other parts of the world. So, we want to be very cautious and we don’t want anything to go wrong,” he added.
By: Maureen Ihua-Maduenyi
The Guardian News
