By CHARLES IWUOHA

No fewer than 88 health practitioners have been trained by the Enugu State Government on decontaminated and handling of infectious disease patients or scenes within council areas.

The trained participants included hygienists, morticians and ambulance drivers drawn from the 17 council areas in the state.

Declaring the workshop open in Enugu on Friday, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Ikechukwu Obi, noted that residents of the state must take environmental and personal hygiene seriousness to reduce disease burden in the state.

Obi noted that residents of the state should comply with laid down preventive guidelines for COVID-19 and other health instructions, adding that abiding by health advise would make the people healthier and safe from infectious diseases.

He noted that the health practitioners in the state had a duty to ensure that their families, neighbours and even their communities obey simple health instructions and rules to reduce disease burden for all.

“Our personal protection is important as well as the protection of the environment; but more important is the protection of ourselves against vectors that come in contact with us or what we eat or drink every day.

“There is a need to properly cover what we eat, ensure we drink safe and well sourced water to remain very health and drive away illnesses and infection of all kinds.

“Our people individually and collective as a neighbourhood must ensure that vectors like rodents and mosquitoes are dealt with and not given any space within our neighbourhoods and communities,” he advised.

On the participants, the Commissioner advised them to take the training seriously, step it down to their families, neighbourhoods and communities to ensure that the message gets to everybody “in-order for all to take caution.”

Said the Commissioner: “You should not keep it to yourself but spread the message so that it will have greater impact and be beneficial to all.

“We have come to realise that health issues require team work and everyone getting involved for it to work proper and the purpose of health education and awareness achieved,’’ he said.

Earlier, the Focal Person of Enugu State Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Dr Eddy Ndibuagu, noted that it was the second batch of training for health practitioners dealing with infectious diseases in the state.

Ndibuagu noted that five participants were drawn from each of 17 council areas in the state; adding; “From each council area, we have three hygienists, one mortician and one ambulance driver.

“While the state government provided two additional hygienists and an ambulance driver; thus, making the number 88 participants in all,” Ndibuagu said.

The focal person further explained that the participants were selected by the state Primary Healthcare Development Agency after they found that these participants were on ground and dedicated to service in their council areas before now.

“They are to work as a team of five in each council areas to see to the constant disinfection of the environment each as markets and other public places as well as places where there are cases of COVID-19 or other infectious disease.

“They will also ensure proper handling of patients of suspected infectious diseases and taking them to see a doctor as well as proper burials for infectious corpses observing high hygienic practices and disinfecting the corpses and people involved in the burial,” he added.

One of the participants, Mr. Chinedu Okenwa, said that the training had exposed him on how and why he should be careful and abide by the rules while disinfecting any infectious disease scene.

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