The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has taken steps to tackle the spread of the deadly corona virus at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos
FAAN’s regional manager, southwest, Mrs. Victoria Shin-Aba who announced this in Lagos said primary screening of persons, temperature monitoring of arriving passengers, enhanced visual observation for obvious signs of communicable disease had begun at the airport.
She said passengers with *Fever – temperature above or equal to 38 degrees Celsius, *Jaundice, *skin rash, *persistent diarrhea, *persistent cough or difficulty in breathing, *headache, *neck stiffness, *decreased consciousness, *lethargy, *unexplained bleeding, *persistent vomiting, are referred to secondary screening at the point of entry (POE) where the secondary screening form is used.
If there is obvious public health threat, she said the passenger is transferred to the designated hospital (Lagos State Mainland Hospital) following appropriate protocols (standard operating procedure) for further evaluation.
She said areas for enhanced surveillance are *at point of entry *on board aircraft *at PHS on arrival queue (POE) *within the terminal building *within 400m radius of the POE
Another area for surveillance is outside the POE – at the state and local government levels.
She said health facilities must be informed to always take travel history of patients while states have to do a lot of work with the health facilities.
She added that passengers who are exposed may be in the incubation period (disease causing organism present in the body with no obvious symptom or sign) when they enter the country, like in the case of ebola virus carrier, Duncan when he entered the United States in 2014.
She said collaboration and observance of basic infection prevention and control measures by stakeholders is important adding that “there is a plan to re-train stakeholders.”
