Ebola: All schools in Nigeria now to resume on September 22

The Federal Government on Friday backtracked on earlier decision that all schools in the country should remain closed till October 13, no thanks to the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease.
The government has now directed that schools should resume on September 22, three weeks earlier than initially directed.
Primary and post primary schools across the country were billed to resume from long break from the second week in September, before the anxiety over EVD forced government to defer the resumption.
The postponement of resumption date of schools to October 13, had been a precautionary measure against the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease.
However, the date has been shifted forward to September 22 following a review ordered by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The FEC, recently ordered the Minister of Education, Mr Ibrahim Shekarau, to review the directive given to schools over their resumption, following the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.
The change in the resumption came as a result of improving outlook of the EVD scourge in Nigeria.
Health officials in Nigeria have done marvel work in containing the spread of the disease, which devastating outbreak in West Africa sent waves of fear of the dreaded disease across the globe.
The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, said on Friday that he was confident that the EVD in Nigeria will be taken care of.
Professor Chukwu, who led a delegation from the Ministry of Health to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Friday to ascertain the level of work done by the Ebola response team in the state, said that doctors were assisting Ebola virus patients by replacing their lost fluid to get well .
“The electrolyte you have lost is replaced. We need to ensure that if you need blood, we give you blood transfusion. Ebola virus can be managed, it is not a death sentence,” Professor Chukwu said.’
Chukwu added, however, that the virus does not have a specific drug yet and that many diseases were like that.
“We have not been able to get a reliable vaccine. So, all the vaccines are going through clinical trials.
“Hopefully, we will get one soon. But, for now, we don’t have, but we do manage,” he said.
Received by members of the Ebola response team in the state led by the Commissioner of Health, Samson Parker, the Minister’s first assignment was to visit the treatment centre at Oduha, Emohua Local Government Area, before proceeding to the National Disease Control Centre in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital in Choba to take a look at the mobile testing laboratory centre where blood samples could be tested for the virus.
He said what he saw was of world class standard.
The Minister confirmed that it was just one case of Ebola virus patient that was in the treatment centre in Rivers State, who is the sister of the late doctor.
He further stated that 18 cases of the disease were registered in the country so far, eight of which have been discharged
“The government is on top of the situation and we will do our best to make sure that we stamp out the disease,” he said.
“Ebola is not a death sentence and can be managed.” That is the message the Ministry of Health in Rivers State and the Federal Government hope will get to Nigerians, as the fight against the virus intensifies.