Writing for a larger audience, Zhou held that adequate monitoring and sensible deployment of medical personnel were some of the public health technique that did the trick.
According to him, the achievement ought to put Nigeria on the global map this time around for the right reasons.
He wrote: "The Nigerian authorities succeeded in finding and monitoring more than 400 people, who had come in contact with a Port Harcourt doctor who succumbed to Ebola, for signs of the virus. These people were his family and community members, and colleagues. This case, recorded in a WHO report, demonstrates one of the most important reasons behind Nigeria's success."
"More than 1,800 Nigerian medical workers were employed to trace and monitor the highly suspected cases, clean the contaminated spots and treat the patients. Some of them were infected with the virus and even lost their lives. The doctor who treated Sawyer was one of them. This contrasts starkly with the fact that in some countries some doctors and nurses refused to treat Ebola patients for fear of being infected and even fled the hospitals."
"Forty-two days have passed since the last Ebola case was detected in Nigeria, the World Health Organization announced on Oct 20, declaring the country Ebola-free. It was welcome news not only for Africa, but also for the rest of the world, raising the confidence of the countries and people combating the deadly disease."
EVB is still rampant in West Africa. It broke out earlier this year and has since spread to Europe and the United States. The epidemic has claimed the lives of 4,922 people and more than 13,000 confirmed infection cases, mostly in the three hardest-hit countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
When the Ebola virus was brought into Nigeria on July 20 by Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian national, almost everyone assumed the disease would sweep across the most populous country in Africa. Twenty confirmed cases were detected in Nigeria.
The Chinese influential author also wrote further: "Nigeria owes its success to strong leadership, effective implementation of rules, selfless dedication of its medical staff and cross-country cooperation."
"After Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan labeled the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency on Aug 8, the Nigerian government set up an all-comprehensive Ebola Emergency Operations Center, which helped the country in its fight against the disease. Even the WHO has praised the Nigerian government for its "strong leadership" in the anti-Ebola mission." He added.
He noted also that almost all anti-Ebola virus measures have been effectively implemented in Nigeria. "The hospital which treated the first patient, Sawyer, was immediately shut down and vacated. Vigilance and screening at airports and border crossings were promptly strengthened. And all flights to and from Ebola-stricken countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia were cancelled..., Furthermore, several Ebola testing centers were set up so that the patients infected with the virus could be identified and quarantined within the shortest possible time. Also, the Nigerian government formed a six-member research committee on Aug 4 to conduct research on the virus and train local doctors to effectively combat the disease."
"Several other emergency measures were taken to check the spread of the disease in Nigeria and provide thorough treatment to the infected. In Lagos and Port Harcourt, where all the confirmed Ebola cases were reported from, a robust contact tracing system was established to ensure that virtually every person who had come in contact with the patients could be identified, closely monitored, isolated and provided with proper treatment," he added.
The Federal Government has also since provided support for regional countries. It has shared with other countries its experience, donated millions of dollars to the affected West African countries and helped train medical staff from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. More than 600 Nigerians have volunteered to provide assistance to the three countries.
Nigeria is not fighting the war against Ebola alone. The WHO laid out a road map against Ebola and coordinated international assistance for the affected countries, including Nigeria, with the UN setting up the Mission for Ebola Emergency Response.
On record is also the fact that China took the lead in assisting some African countries in their fight against Ebola. A Chinese chartered airplane carrying medical provisions landed in Sierra Leone on Aug 11. On Sept 18, the Chinese embassy in Nigeria also announced that Beijing would provide more medical assistance to Nigeria.
Warning against a tendency to rest on one's oars, the international politics scholar and author said "Although Nigeria has been declared Ebola-free, this is not the time for complacency, especially because other West African countries are still battling the disease. Accordingly, Nigerian President Jonathan has urged all Nigerians to remain alert against another outbreak of the disease. This should be a lesson for other countries and their leaders."
With Love, Carlton
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