Kwara trains health workers on Ebola, diphtheria surveillance
The Kwara State Ministry of Health has organised a one-day sensitisation training on Ebola and diphtheria surveillance and reporting to strengthen disease detection, prompt reporting and response among health workers and relevant stakeholders.
The training focused on improving disease surveillance, promoting early detection and ensuring suspected cases are reported promptly to prevent outbreaks.
The Director of Public Health, Dr. Oluwatosin Fakayode, represented by the State Epidemiologist, Dr. Khadeejah Kamaldeen, emphasised the importance of the training in strengthening participants’ capacity to identify warning signs, report suspected cases and take appropriate action in line with established surveillance guidelines.
Fakayode said the initiative underscored the ministry’s commitment to improving disease surveillance, strengthening public health preparedness and protecting residents across the state.
He outlined the objectives of the training, including improving participants’ understanding of the epidemiology, modes of transmission, signs and symptoms of Ebola and diphtheria.
He also stressed the need for appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, proper specimen collection, packaging and transportation procedures, as well as identifying gaps in disease surveillance and developing practical solutions to address them.
Speaking on diphtheria transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) Consultant Public Physician, Dr. Maryam Jimoh, explained that humans are the only natural hosts of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, while carriers serve as reservoirs of infection.
Jimoh noted that the disease could spread directly from person to person through respiratory droplets and indirectly through contact with infected lesions, contaminated clothing and other objects.
She added that infectiousness could persist for two weeks or less, although it might occasionally last longer, highlighting the importance of early detection, appropriate treatment and effective infection prevention and control measures.
In her presentation on Ebola surveillance, the Senior Liaison Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Gloria Ogunkunle, highlighted symptoms that should raise suspicion of Ebola virus disease.
According to her, these include the sudden onset of fever accompanied by at least three other symptoms, such as headache, lethargy, loss of appetite, muscle or joint pain, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea and hiccups.
The ministry said the training was aimed at strengthening the capacity of health workers and relevant stakeholders to identify warning signs, report suspected cases promptly and support effective disease surveillance and response across Kwara State.
