The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says steps are being taken to checkmate any infiltration of passengers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) following an outbreak of CoronaVirus in China.
FAAN Regional Manager, South West, Mrs Victoria Shina-Aba made this know in a message in Lagos on Thursday.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are normally transmitted between animals and people because some coronaviruses can be transmitted from person to person, usually after close contact with an infected patient.
The first case of a novel (new) coronavirus (2019nCoV) strain was confirmed in China on Jan. 7, 2020 while several people have died from the virus in China following an outbreak in the central city of Wuhan.
FAAN in a statement on Tuesday had advised passengers and airport users to comply with all quarantine procedures and submit themselves for routine quarantine checks whenever they are asked to at the nation’s airports.
Shina-Aba said a breakdown of activities was meant to control the coronaVirus if detected at the Port of Entry (MMIA), adding that the primary screening was ongoing.
FAAN official explained that the airport authority along with health personnel were monitoring the temperature of all arriving passengers and also carrying out enhanced visual observation for obvious signs of communicable disease.
She said: “Passenger with any of the following fever such as temperature above or equal to 38 degrees Celsius, jaundice, skin rash, persistent diarrhea, persistent cough would be referred to secondary screening.
“Others are difficulty in breathing, complains of headache, neck stiffness; decreased consciousness, lethargy, unexplained bleeding, as well as persistent vomiting.
Shina-Aba said passengers would be referred to secondary screening, where the secondary screening form is used.
She noted that if there was an obvious public health threat, the passenger would be transferred to the designated hospital (Lagos State Mainland Hospital) following appropriate protocols (SOP) for further evaluation.
Shina-Aba said that passengers who are exposed might be in the incubation period in which case the disease causing organism present in the body with no obvious symptom or sign when they enter the country.
She added that just like in the case of Duncan when he entered United States with Ebola in 2014.
Shina-Aba therefore said collaboration and observance of basic Infection prevention and control measures by stakeholders was important and was being strengthened.
Commenting, a Medical Official, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Dr Wilfred Haggai explained that the areas for enhanced surveillance were at the POE, on board the aircraft, at the Passenger Handling Service on the arrival queue.
Haggai added that others were within the terminal building and within 400m radius of the POE and outside the POE.
He said at the state and local governments level, health facilities must be informed to always take travel history of patients and the state must do a lot of work with the health facilities.
