EBOLA: Rivers State Govt To Shut Down Schools Without Pipe-Borne Water

The Rivers Government monday warned that it would shut down any primary or secondary school without pipe borne water.

 The State Commissioner for Education, Miss Alice Nemi, gave the warning in Port Harcourt during a sensitisation workshop for teachers in the state on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).] The  workshop was jointly organised by the state ministries of education and health for teachers in public and private schools.

The commissioner, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said potable water would ensure that the teachers, pupils and students washed their hands regularly with soap. Nemi, however, did not say when inspection of the schools would start to know schools without the facility. Regular hand washing and avoidance of body contact are essential to prevent the spread of Ebola virus.

 A member of Ebola Emergency Response Committee (EERC) in the state, Dr. Dora Era, said the Infra Red Thermometer was being used to check temperature of persons entering the state. She said that many victims of Ebola virus were health workers and that many Liberians died because health workers did not handle the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) properly.

The proper ways to wash hands and use the PPE were demonstrated to participants. A participant, on condition of anonymity, said that although the workshop was not properly organised, teachers had known the basic things in any outbreak in school environment. The participant said that he was now better informed than ever about