By BASHIR BELLO, Kano

The Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, has expressed worry over non-compliance of some airlines to screening forms containing traveling history of passengers as part of measures to tame spread of Coronavirus to the country.

Tsanyawa, while addressing a press conference following the news on the first recorded case of Coronavirus in Lagos and Nigeria, said the airlines were supposed to issue a form to each passenger on board to ascertain their traveling history before arriving the airport but some don’t comply.

According to him, “There is a form that is supposed to be filled by each passenger even while onboard for the traveling history of that individual for the past two to three weeks.

“Some of the airlines are not complying.

“We have arranged for a meeting tomorrow, Monday with NCAA, they oversee the activities of all these airlines. So we are going to raise all these issues that some airlines are not complying with the filling of these forms.

All passengers on board should and must fill these forms before they arrive at the airport. So we are going to address this issue tomorrow God willing.

“On our part and at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA we have adequate measures in place to thoroughly screen any passenger. Once a passenger arrives the airport, he goes to the screening area called primary screening area.

Our staff are there to take the temperature of the patient, or if he has any symptoms like difficulties in breathing. Once he has any of these, there is need for further screening we called secondary screening area. After this, if we have further suspicion for the patient there is where we have holding area before our people are communicated and before we transfer the patient to our isolation centre.

“Any passenger that comes through MAKIA will pass through all these screening processes to ensure that nobody comes into Kano with this kind of disease.

“On strength in terms of human resources at the airport, we really have staff from NCDC, Aminu Kano Teaching hospital, those from the state and others trained on how to administer the screening and also prevent themselves.

“We also have an ambulance fully equipped and staffed dedicated to the airport so that in case we have any suspected cases that worth to be mobilised to Yar-Gaya Isolation Centre, we would not have any issue.

“The Governor has set aside millions of Naira for the upgrade ‘Yar-Gaya centre and also for the management of the facility.

“Other measures instituted by the state following the outbreak in Lagos, include conduct of state emergency and response committee meeting, development of incident action plan, activation of Rapid Response Team (RRT) and reactivation of the state Isolation centre at ‘Yar-Gaya. “Moreover, Kano State government has planned to further intensify COVID-19 surveillance in the state through: engagement of traditional and religious leaders, training of Health personnel in tertiary, secondary and primary health care, point of entry by collaboration with MAKIA, Railway and NURTW authorities for screening and reporting of suspects,” Dr. Tsanyawa however stated. (Vanguard)