The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, will continue to take proactive measures to wage unrelenting and aggressive war against any epidemic ravaging the society.
Ondo State Coordinator, NYSC, Mrs. Grace Akpabio, gave this assurance while welcoming a team from Ondo State Ministry of Health who were on camp to sensitise corps members on Lassa fever and Coronavirus.
Akpabio told the medical team from Epidemiology Department of the ministry that beginning from when the camp started officially on Tuesday, the scheme had provided safety measures and embarked on far reaching actions in order to guard against the contraction of the deadly virus by corps members.
She outlined such steps taken to include the provision of infrared thermometers, hand sanitisers, face mask, wash hand basins as well as antiseptic soaps in all the state secretariats and at strategic locations at orientation camps nationwide.
Akpabio told the team that sensitisation leaflets on Lassa fever and Coronavirus had been shared to all the 2020 Batch ‘A’ (Stream 1) corps members currently in camp so as to give them requisite information on the viruses and how to adequately contain them.
The state coordinator, while thanking the Ministry of Health for playing supportive roles by lending technical support to the scheme charged the corps members not to see the sensitisation as an avenue to seek relocation outside Ondo State.
“My dear excellent and wonderful corps members, our Creator has a reason for bringing you to this state and I want to admonish you not to walk away from God’s grace.
“We have health and medical challenges everywhere but what you need to do is to adopt good hygienic habit and safeguard yourselves from vulnerability associated with the virus.
“Have the implicit faith and absolute trust in God that brought you here, and let not your path be troubled for He is more abundantly able to see you through the service year,” she said.
The deputy director who also led the team from the Epidemiology Department, Mrs. Adeola Ogunbiyi, said the sensitisation was not to scare the corps members but to let them know the gospel truth about Lassa fever and Coronavirus.
She enjoined the corps members to display high sense of responsibility during the programme which she described as beneficial and life saving.
Explaining the steps to take to avoid epidemic, the Assistant State Epidemiologist, Dr. Gbelela Dolani, advised the corps members to regularly and thoroughly clean their environment to prevent spread of the virus.
Dolani urged the corps members to practise respiratory hygiene by covering their mouths and noses with tissue whenever they cough or sneeze, then dispose the used tissue immediately and properly.
He encouraged them to apply hand sanitiser often and use face mask as the viruses could not be seen with ordinary eyes.
On Lassa fever, the medical practitioner said many people were contacting the epidemic as a result of ignorance and that the researchers and scientists were still developing vaccines to combat it.
“Gentlemen corps members, Lassa fever is transmitted by rats and rodents. These transmitters live in a dirty and bushy environment, hence we can reduce it by maintaining personal cleanliness.”
The epidemiologist disclosed that the government relied much on strengthening measures such as ensuring regular sanitation and advised anyone whose health was being threatened to promptly visit hospital or seek medical attention from competent and licenced medical practitioners.
Comment has already been made. Good job and detailed report. Keep it up