The Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Red Cross Society has expressed its readiness to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola Virus, malaria, HIV/AIDS, cholera and water-borne diseases, among others.
It spoke yesterday through its branch chairman, Mobolaji Onibudo, an engineer, during the opening ceremony of its 50th anniversary at Government College, Ikorodu. The event was its annual youth leadership course and camping with the theme: “My Red Cross Story.”
The camp, which hosted the members of the society across local government areas in the state, will end on Sunday.
Onibudo said that after the ongoing training for some of its members on Ebola Virus, they are expected to go to their local government areas to educate other members.
He said research is ongoing to find a cure for the virus, adding that it must be properly managed to prevent its spread.
“This is why some of our members are in the training to ensure that Ebola is properly maintained and curtailed. The only thing we can do is to sensitise and enlighten the public to have good hygiene to minimise the risk of the virus.
“The disease cannot spread by you just touching, but it can spread through contact with body fluid of the carrier of the virus. This is why we tell people to ensure that they have their hands washed from time to time and have them dried up properly with disinfectants; these are the areas that the germs will not turn into any form of virus that can lead to Ebola,” he explained.
Onibudo added: “We should avoid the body fluid of suspected carriers from getting in contact with ours. This is the minimum precaution we can talk about now.”
Saying that the society is also into sensitisation on malaria, he explained: “We go out from time to time to ensure that the environment is kept safe and clean from mosquitoes that could lead to malaria. We also we embark on spirited HIV/AIDS sensitisation whereby you need to keep a safe life by ensuring that you keep to one partner so that you do not stand the risk of contracting AIDS. Where we have AIDS victims, we enlighten the public on how not to stigmatise them.
“We also educate the youth on water-borne diseases, cholera and first aid in cases of disaster. We develop the youth on leadership training and ensure that women are properly empowered and enlightened. We also do prison sansitisation to ensure that they maintain good sanitation there.
“We provide water across the state. We just finished one in Badagry, where we provided water for about 10 communities and we intend to extend to some other rural areas in the state”.
The Director of Post Service, Office of the Head of Service in the state, Mrs Rolat Alaka, representing the Head of Service, praised the society for developing youths.
She said the state government was doing a lot on Ebola Virus, adding that all those who came in contact with the man that died of the virus are being checked.
Mrs Alaka urged anyone with the symptom to report immediately to the hospital to prevent the spread of the virus.
She advised the public to stop self medication, adding: “Go to the hospital whenever anything is wrong with you. Use only the drugs that are prescribed to you so that the drugs don’t lose their value in your body when you truly need them.”
The Chairman, 50th anniversary planning committee of the society, Mr Bamigbola Shue-Tijani, said the celebration was to help youths in variety of ways and urged more youths to join the society.
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