By Igoniko Oduma
Correspondent, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State government has urged members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to join other Nigerians in “fighting the Ebola virus like a wounded lion”.
Commissioner for Health, Ayebatonye Owei, gave the charge when the government took its sensitisation and awareness campaign against the deadly disease to the NYSC Orientation Camp at Kaiama, Kolokuma /Opokuma Local Government Area.
Owei, who led the government team to the camp, warned the Corps members against making contacts with persons showing symptoms of the virus.
He also appealed to the Corps members to be vigilant, saying they should look out for persons showing symptoms of the disease and to avoid contact with them.
Owei told them that all Nigerians that had shown symptoms of the disease were persons who had direct contacts with the late Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer.
He, however, said the fear of Ebola should not affect interpersonal relationship among the Corps members since the virus could only be transmitted by persons showing its symptoms.
“It can only be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person. It is one of the conditions that can easily be prevented. When the person is not sick, he is not capable of transmitting it,” he said.
Owei, who heads the state’s task force on Ebola, said Corps members must avoid secretions of sick persons and maintain high level of personal hygiene.
The commissioner said the task force had distributed sanitisers, washing soap and water across the camp and appealed to the youths to always wash their hands.
“We are not saying that you shouldn’t shake hands but don’t do it with sick people. Don’t eat bush meat because some of them are carriers. Ensure that any meat you eat is well-cooked,” he said.
He said the National Council of Health had cancelled the conveyance of dead bodies from one place to another.
Owei, who described the Corps members as the foot-soldiers, enjoined them to take Ebola message to other parts of the state.
In his remarks, the State Coordinator, NYSC, Ekeocha Anthony, told the Corps members that the Ebola virus was deadlier than the HIV/AIDS.
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