Coronavirus: FAAN beefs up screening at Lagos airport

At the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) authorities are taking steps to checkmate any infiltration of passengers who may be carrying the deadly CoronaVirus which broke out in China continues to wreak havoc in Asia.

Already the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in an advisory released two days ago enjoined travelers 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.

Victoria Shin-Aba, regional manager, South West FAAN,  who gave a breakdown of activities meant to control the corona Virus if detected, said that at the Port of Entry (MMIA) primary screening was ongoing.

According to Sin-Aba, the airport authority along with health personnel, are monitoring the temperature of all arriving passengers as well as carrying out enhanced visual observation for obvious signs of communicable disease.

Read also: Novel Coronavirus: FG heightens screening at ports of entry, cautions Nigerians

She stated that passengers with any of the following: Fever – Temperature above or equal to 38 degrees Celsius, jaundice, skin rash, persistent diarrhoea, persistent cough or difficulty in breathing, complains of headache, neck stiffness; decreased consciousness, lethargy, unexplained bleeding, as well as persistent vomiting, are referred to secondary screening

Passengers who are referred to secondary screening, where the secondary screening form is used, if there is an obvious public health threat, the passenger is transferred to the designated hospital (Lagos State Mainland Hospital) following appropriate protocols for further evaluation.

Explaining further, Wilfred Haggai, a staff at Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), stated that the areas for enhanced surveillance are at the Point of Entry (POE), on board the aircraft, at the Passenger Handling Service on the arrival queue, within the terminal building and within 400m radius of the POE.

Another area for surveillance is outside the POE, as at the state and LGA 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.

Shin-Aba said that passengers who are exposed may be in the incubation period (disease causing organism present in the body with no obvious symptom or sign) when they enter the country, as in the case of Thomas Eric Duncan, who entered the United States with Ebola in 2014.

Thus mooted collaboration and observance of basic Infection prevention and control measures by stakeholders is important and is being strengthened.

At least 17 people have died from a new coronavirus in China following an outbreak in the central city of Wuhan, and more than 550 cases have been reported globally, an updated figure from yesterday’s numbers.