Ebola: LASG Summons Mortuary Operators, Funeral Homes.

Towards ensuring the
effective monitoring of
corpses in the mortuaries in
Lagos, the Health Facility and
Accreditation Monitoring
Agency, HEFAMA, in collaboration with the
Federal/State Joint Task Force,
has summoned operators of
private mortuaries and
funeral homes in the state to a
stakeholders’ meeting
.
The meeting scheduled to hold
this week is designed to
provide further
enlightenment and education
on handling of corpses in the
wake of the Ebola virus disease outbreak. Disclosing this, weekend, state
Commissioner for Health, Dr.
Jide Idris said it had become
expedient to empower the
mortuary operators with
information and protective equipment towards ensuring
that effective preventive
measures are taken against
the spread of the Ebola virus
disease.Idris, who cautioned
private mortuary operators against accepting corpses with
suspicious or unknown cause
of death or death certificates
not certified by qualified
medical personnel, said in
order to avoid unnecessary risk of exposure to
contracting the Ebola virus, all
private mortuaries in the state
would need to be more
careful.
The Board of Traditional
Medical Practitioners, faith-
based organisations would
equally be holding training
and enlightenment
programmes on the disorder. The operators were urged to
show high level of hygiene at
this time to avoid contracting
viral infections. Meanwhile, as part of efforts
to reduce the chances of
contracting the Ebola virus,
the World Health Organisation,
WHO, has urged for
alternative modes of greeting apart from handshakes. The WHO also advised people
to wash their hands regularly
with soap under running
water as part of hygiene
etiquette to avoid the Ebola
virus and other contagious diseases.