By Taoheed Abdullahi
The Lagos State Government has activated the Incident Management Structure (IMS) of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) as part of measures to strengthen prevention and preparedness against a possible outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the state.
The activation followed an emergency meeting of the Lagos PHEOC held at Mainland Hospital, Yaba, in response to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, have been recorded.
At the meeting, officials reviewed the epidemiology of the DRC outbreak and assessed preparedness in key areas such as infection prevention and control, surveillance, contact tracing, case management, laboratory capacity, evacuation, risk communication, budget, and logistics.
Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, represented by the Director of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, Dr. Ismail Abdus-Salam, said the IMS activation was a proactive step given Lagos’ status as a major gateway city with three points of entry.
He urged residents not to panic, assuring that government had put control measures in place. He, however, advised strict adherence to hand hygiene, environmental sanitation, and early reporting of suspected cases, particularly among travellers returning from affected regions.
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