UPDATE: Lassa fever: Nigeria gets $290,000 equipment from AfDB

The Federal Government has received a donation of health equipment worth $290,000 from the African Development Bank as a support for the fight against Lassa fever and other health challenges in the country.

The equipment, which includes two ambulances, 30 Bajaj motorcycles, 34 safety boxes and among others, were procured by the World Health Organisation with funding from AfDB.

A statement issued on Friday by the Director (Media and Public Relations) in the Ministry of Health, Mrs. Boade Akinola, said the Country Director of WHO, Dr. Rui Gama Vaz, presented the equipment to the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, in Abuja.

She said the equipment was initially to curtail the spread of Ebola epidemic but that since Nigeria had succeeded in curtailing Ebola, it could be used to address other epidemic.

Also speaking, the Country Director of AfDB, Ousmane Dore, commended the Federal Government for the way and manner it handled the Ebola virus epidemic.

“On behalf of the AfDB President, we would like to express to you our sincere commendation for the way in which the Nigerian Government was able to arrest the spread of the Ebola disease for which the Bank had earmarked some resources,” he said.

Dore said the quick response by the Nigeria government gave the international community assurances that the political will and determination of the government in the fight against Ebola was serious.

Receiving the equipment, Adewole said that the equipment would help Nigeria to prepare against any eventuality that may occur.

He said, “We thank you very sincerely and we need more, this is just the beginning the whole world must be prepared for eventualities as global warming is bringing quite a number of challenges in the health sector, yesterday was Lassa, day before yesterday was Ebola, today and tomorrow is Zika virus and we don’t know what would happen tomorrow and thereafter.

“The most important thing is that we must be prepare at all time, this would help us to stay prepared and we still look forward to support our laboratories facilities and build the human system that would make the country ready for any epidemic.”

Source: Punch