Abuja, 19 February, 2016 - The World Health Organization (WHO) has handed-over ambulances and other Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) equipment and supplies procured by funds from the Africa Development Bank (AfDP), to the Federal Ministry of Health for onward distribution to states, health facilities and relevant agencies.

Receiving the items which included heavy duty gloves, disaster kits (body bags), sprayers, personal protective equipment and scrub tops, the Honourable of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, stated that the delivery was timely to strengthen the country’s response to any epidemic prone diseases.

He noted that though Ebola was contained, there are other health challenges as Nigeria is currently “fighting to interrupt the transmission of Lassa fever in our country”

A case of the deadly EVD was imported into Nigeria on 20 July 2014. During the outbreak, WHO provided support in the areas of surveillance, laboratory capacity, contact tracing, data and case management, Point of Entry, preposition of PPE, risk communication, high level advocacy and coordination. The AfDB therefore agreed to fund $1,000,000 WHO Nigeria proposal submitted for EVD preparedness and response in Nigeria. The proposal was approved and a tripartite agreement with the AfDB, Nigerian government and WHO was signed on 16 September 2014.

Speaking at the  hand-over ceremony, the Country Director of the AfDP, Mr. Ousmane Dore stated that the bank was satistied with channeling the resources  through the WHO  and was pleased  that the funds were efficiently used.

He called on the government to ensure that the country continues in its strides to build the human system on alert in order to address epidemics as they occur.

Transferring the custody of the items to the minister, Dr Rui Gama Vaz, the WHO Country Representative in Nigeria revealed that other items donated include 27,000 copies of surveillance tools, 3,000 copies of IDSR technical guidelines, 30 motorcycles for surveillance in hard-to-reach-areas, megaphones, stretchers, granular hypochlorite, biopack triple packaging and re-enforced surgical gowns.

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Technical contacts:

Dr Mary Stephen: +234 816 289 9789; Email: stephenm [at] who.int (stephenm[at]who[dot]int)
Media contact:

Ms  Charity Warigon; Tel: +234 810 221 0093; Email: warigonc [at] who.int (warigonc[at]who[dot]int)
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Below:

01. The Honourable Minister signing the hand-over documents while the WR watched 

02. The EVD ambulances and some of the eguipment handed over to government