Date: 2014-08-02

The All Progressives Congress, APC, Kwara State chapter has assured the people of the state that there is no cause for tension or fear as the Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed-led government had, before now, put proactive measures and strategies in place to prevent the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus in the state.

In a statement issued in Ilorin by its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari, the party urged the people of Kwara State to cooperate with the state government and its officials in order to ensure an Ebola-free Kwara State.

The party said, "In April, even before Nigeria recorded its first case of Ebola Virus, the Kwara State government had formed synergy with the Kwara State chapter of National Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria to constitute a special surveillance team, 50 members spread across the 16 local government areas, to prevent outbreak of Ebola virus in our dear state.

"The state government has also organised various sensitization programmes on integrated disease surveillance research (IDSR) for all heads of health departments in all 16 local government for onward communication to Kwarans.

"A result-oriented strategy is in force and all hospitals (both public and private) in the state have been placed as contact centres.

"The Kwara State Ministry of Health and the state’s Primary Health Care Development Agency have redoubled efforts to raise awareness among the residents of State on the deadly Ebola virus while awareness campaigns have been boosted on radio and television stations.

"The state commissioner for health, Alhaji Abdul Kayode Issa, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Abdulrafiu Ayinla, and Head of Disease Control in the ministry, Dr Michael Oguntoye, have started the state sensitization programme towards preventing an Ebola outbreak amongst the residents of Kwara State on what the disease is all about, the mode of transmission from an infected person and what to do when the disease is suspected in an individual.

"In view of the numerous proactive interventions to protect the good people of Kwara State from this deadly disease by the responsive APC-led government in Kwara State, we urge Kwarans to cooperate with the state government and its officials in order to ensure an Ebola-free Kwara State.

The APC noted that, "the intimidating popularity and acceptability of the APC and our government as shown by the good people of Kwara State during recent town hall meetings have taken a trembling and jittery effect on the opposition PDP, sadly for the PDP, the APC can only grow higher in acceptability", the statement read.