The Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) on Thursday extended its sensitisation campaign on preventing and controlling Ebola outbreaks to motor parks across the state.

The centre also hinted at plans to inaugurate surveillance focal persons at motor parks across the state.

The director-general, Muhammad Adamu-Abbass, disclosed this during the sensitisation campaign at Mariri and Naibawa motor parks.

Mr Adamu-Abbas, represented by the State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer, Babangida Saleh-Kibiya, said the visit to parks became imperative to sensitise the motorists to infection prevention and control (IPC).

“We were at Mariri Park, and now we are at the Naibawa motor park. We deem it necessary to visit this motor park because of the volume of people who troop in and out to board vehicles to various destinations and sit in the vehicles for hours while travelling,” he said.

On the surveillance focal persons, he said they would be trained to identify passengers, drivers and other transport workers who might exhibit symptoms associated with Ebola, as well as understand the appropriate protocols for preventing the spread of the disease.

The KNCDC director-general urged transport workers and members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases to the nearest healthcare facilities or through the centre’s hotline.

The case manager, Aisha Baffa, educated the transport workers on the signs and symptoms of Ebola.

In his remarks, the chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mariri Taxi Branch, Bilya Saad-Idris, expressed the union’s readiness to support the initiative.

He said the union would provide committed members for training as surveillance focal persons to help strengthen Ebola monitoring and reporting at motor parks.

Similarly, the station manager of Kano Line at Naibawa Motor Park, Ibrahim Aliyu-Maisalati, advised passengers and motorists to observe preventive measures and cooperate with health authorities.

 (NAN)

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