Ekiti College of Education sensitises students on Lassa Fever
From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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Following the recent outbreak of Lassa fever in some states of the federation, the Ekiti State College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, has advised students to maintain personal hygiene and be cautious of what they consume to prevent the spread of the disease in the institution.
Describing the disease as deadly and contagious, the College said there was need for the students to be watchful in view of the fact that their large population could easily aid spread if it breaks out.
The Director of Health Services in the College, Dr. Ayodeji Aturamu while speaking in the institution during a sensitisation programme on Wednesday, said the students must be vigilant and quickly report any student who manifests symptoms of the disease , so that he can be isolated for treatment.
Aturamu added that the students needed to be adequately sensitised since the bulk of them came from outside Ekiti, despite having no reported case of Lassa fever.
“Large population of our students came from outside and we have to take steps to ward off outbreak of such epidemic disease, because existing inter-personal relationships among them could help its spread.
” When you see any student showing symptoms of prolonged malaria, diarrhea , hemorrhage through body orifices, sore throat , vomiting , and swollen face, quickly alert us at the health centre for proactive steps.
“You must ensure that you maintain personal hygiene by keeping your environment clean and cover your food , so that the rats identified to be the vector won’t have body contact with it”, he advised.
In another development, the Acting Provost of the College, Dr. Victor Kehinde, has said there won’t be any room for certificate racketeering under his watch.
Kehinde while interacting with the College’s management staff and students stated that only diligent and worthy students of the institution would bag the National Certificate of Education (NCE) being offered by the institution.
The Provost said: “The institution is widely respected for being a front runner among the comity of Colleges of Education in Nigeria and nobody will be allowed to stop the trend through sharp practices.
“We have set a standard since inception in 1978 in terms of learning and character, leading to the award of NCE certificates and we are not going to compromise this standard that had given us respect nationally and globally”.
