Ebola: Senate urges FG to release emergency funds, enforce screening at entry points

The Nigerian Senate has urged the Federal Government to release emergency funds from the service-wide vote to strengthen disease surveillance and introduce compulsory health screening for international travellers entering the country.

The lawmakers also called for mandatory screening at international airports, seaports and designated land borders to prevent the importation of Ebola and other infectious diseases.

The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Francis Faduyile, who raised concerns over the spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus and the possible threat it poses to Nigeria’s public health system.

Faduyile said the outbreak, which originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, had extended to other African countries, including Uganda and Kenya, raising fears that infected persons could enter Nigeria through transit countries.

He also referenced the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s, NCDC, assessment indicating a high risk of Ebola being imported into the country.

The senator recalled the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, when an infected traveller introduced the virus into Lagos, underscoring the need for stronger preventive measures at the country’s points of entry.

Although the Senate recognised existing government interventions, including health declaration forms and increased surveillance at entry points, it expressed concern that screening measures were limited to travellers arriving from selected countries.

According to the lawmakers, the restriction could create loopholes in the country’s disease monitoring system and expose Nigeria to avoidable public health risks.

The Senate further highlighted shortages of personnel and essential screening equipment at some entry points, while noting that Port Health Services still operates under the Quarantine Act of 1926.

It warned that the country’s existing public health challenges, including Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria, made it necessary to improve preparedness against emerging infectious diseases.

Consequently, the lawmakers directed the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NCDC and Port Health Services to ensure that every international passenger arriving in Nigeria undergoes mandatory health screening, regardless of nationality or country of departure.

The proposed measures include the completion of health declaration forms, temperature checks and assessments for symptoms associated with infectious diseases.

The Senate also recommended more intensive screening for travellers who had visited or passed through affected areas within the previous 21 days.

It called for the introduction of departure screening for passengers leaving Nigeria whenever a public health emergency has been declared.

The chamber urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and the Nigeria Immigration Service to ensure that entry points are equipped with sufficient trained Port Health officers, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation facilities.

It further called on the Federal Government to ensure that isolation and treatment centres across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are adequately equipped and prepared to respond to possible outbreaks.

On the need for legal reforms, the Senate advocated the replacement of the Quarantine Act of 1926 with an updated public health law consistent with the International Health Regulations of 2005.

The lawmakers also urged the ministries responsible for finance, budget and economic planning to provide sufficient funding for the NCDC and Port Health Services in the 2027 budget.

They further called for the release of outstanding funds to enable the agencies to strengthen disease surveillance and improve the country’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies.

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