Ebola: UNICEF trains 5000 Nigerian teachers

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said it has trained over 5,000 teachers at the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre, EEOC, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on how to save lives, contain the Ebola Virus Disease and avoid stigmatization.

Geoffrey Njokwu, the agency’s Communication Specialist (Media and External Relations), in a statement said the training, which took place on September 15, was informed by preparations for the commencement of the 2014/15 academic year.

Njokwu said, “Educating the public about Ebola is a key element in the strategy to contain the disease. UNICEF is supporting a major social mobilization effort, with teams engaging the community at market places, bus stops, churches, in their homes, and at meeting with religious, traditional and other leaders.

“Knowing how Ebola is transmitted and how to protect oneself not only plays a key role in efforts to contain the disease, but is also essential in fighting stigmatization of Ebola survivors, their families and those they had contact with.”

He added that, “The Ebola virus can only be transmitted by an infected person who shows symptoms of the disease. It is not an automatic death sentence – chances of survival increase significantly if the person receives clinical care at an early stage.  In Nigeria, 12 of the 19 confirmed Ebola cases have recovered and are now free of the disease.”