The Nigerian Mediacal Association (NMA) has asked the federal government to establish what it called Community Ebola Surveillance Units, saying that this is not the time to relapse in the fight as Ebola remains a global disease.

The NMA President, Dr Kayode Obembe, stated this yesterday at a press conference in Abuja to flag-off this year’s physicians week in Nigeria.

He said, “Community-Based Ebola Surveillance Units should be established. Ebola is no longer a local but a global disease that must be eliminated from the terrestrial habitat”.

He used the opportunity to commend government’s effort at containing the virus.

Obembe said that for alertness in community-based surveillance, illnesses with onset of fever and anyone of bleeding, diarrhoea, bleeding when urinating, and such like, once identified, should be reported to the surveillance team or the closest health centre.

The association also recommended the establishment of, at least, one isolation unit in each senatorial district or state of the federation.

“For proper function of these isolation units, ambulance transfer services must be provided to convey probable and suspected cases to these units for evaluation and treatment.

“Ambulance staff must be trained and equipped to reduce the risk of patients staff cross-infection while states should provide information on help lines and sources of information on the disease,” the statement said.

The NMA also want the communities to provide cremation sites while the state provides resources and instruction for safe disposal of bodies and other bio hazardous materials.

It would be recalled that the World Medical Association (WMA) had, earlier last week, at its session in Durban, South Africa called on national and local governments to increase public communication about basic infection control practices.

The WMA strongly urged all countries, especially those not yet affected by Ebola, to educate health care providers about current case definition in addition to strengthening infection control methodologies and contact tracing in order to prevent transmission within their countries.