By Ade Oyeyemi
The Ondo State Government has alerted medical laboratory personnel across the state to strengthen safety measures following reports of a confirmed Ebola virus disease case in Abuja.
The advisory, issued by the Director of Laboratory Services at the state Ministry of Health in Akure, urged laboratory workers to strictly comply with infection prevention and control protocols when collecting, handling and transporting patient specimens.
The ministry directed personnel to treat all patient samples as potentially infectious, irrespective of whether they were collected for routine medical tests or from suspected cases. It also stressed the need for appropriate personal protective equipment and warned against unnecessary sample manipulation that could cause spills, splashes or exposure to infectious materials.
The advisory further instructed staff responsible for receiving specimens to ensure that potentially infectious samples were properly labelled, securely packaged and adequately documented before being transported to designated testing facilities.
It cautioned laboratory workers against accepting leaking or improperly packaged specimens without following the required safety and reporting procedures, emphasising the importance of strict hand hygiene, regular disinfection of work surfaces and safe disposal of contaminated materials.
The ministry also urged personnel to promptly report suspected Ebola cases through established surveillance and public health channels while adhering to official guidelines on specimen collection, referral and transportation.
It warned against sacrificing safety procedures for speed or convenience, noting that compliance with biosafety standards was critical to protecting laboratory workers, patients and the wider public.
The state government encouraged laboratory personnel to follow guidance from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and other relevant public health authorities, describing the alert as a precautionary measure to safeguard health workers and residents.
