By Our Reporter

Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-  President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday declared a national state of emergency  over the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, and approved N1.9 billion emergency funds to contain the epidemic.

Reuben Abati, presidential spokesman said the money would be used to strengthen steps to contain the virus such as … additional isolation centers, case management, contact tracing, deployment of additional personnel, screening at borders, and the procurement of required items and facilities.

President Jonathan warned against spreading false information about Ebola which can lead to mass hysteria, panic and misdirection, including unverified suggestions about the prevention, treatment, cure and spread of the virus.

He advised religious leaders to avoid holding large gatherings that might spread the virus, a reference to the many “mega churches” that can draw tens of thousands of faithful from around the West Africa region to their services.

He further advised schools to extend their summer holidays and urged that the movement of corpses from one community to the other, and from overseas into the country should be stopped forthwith.

‘’All deaths from sickness should be reported to the authorities and the state of emergency is expected to stay in place until the outbreak is contained,’’ he said.

Margaret Chan. WHO’s director general (DG) on Friday said west African countries’ Ebola epidemic constituted an international health emergency and needed international help to manage.

However, WHO didn’t recommend general bans on travel or trade, but said the Ebola outbreak – the largest and longest in history – was happening in countries without the resources to manage the infections, some with devastated healthcare systems still recovering from war, and called on the international community to help.

“Countries affected to date simply do not have the capacity to manage an outbreak of this size and complexity on their own, and “I urge the international community to provide this support on the most urgent basis possible,” the WHO director general said.