Ebola: Group demands better protection for health workers

The Prime Environment Cleaners Network Association has called for accountability in Nigeria’s Ebola preparedness measures and better protection for frontline workers involved in maintaining hygienic environments.

President of the association, Yakubu Yazeed, also urged the Federal Government and relevant regulatory agencies to strengthen environmental hygiene standards and recognise professional cleaning as an essential component of public health protection.

He made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday following reports of an imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease, an Ebola-related illness, in Nigeria.

The PECNA president questioned the implementation of the government’s preventive measures, calling for transparency on border screening, early detection systems and the utilisation of emergency preparedness funds.

“How many disease outbreaks must Nigeria experience before we take cleaning and environmental hygiene seriously? Government continues to announce preparedness measures, but where is the evidence of implementation, sustained surveillance and protection of frontline workers?” he asked.

Yazeed said professional cleaners, who maintain hygienic conditions in hospitals, schools, airports, offices and homes, should be included in national infection prevention strategies and adequately protected against occupational risks.

“We cannot claim to prioritise public health while overlooking the professionals responsible for maintaining hygienic environments in our hospitals, schools, airports, offices and homes.

“Cleanliness must become a culture, not an emergency response. Prevention begins with the standards we maintain every day,” he said.

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The association urged the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Ministries of Health and Environment, and relevant state authorities to establish measurable programmes covering professional training, cleaning standards, occupational safety and infection prevention.

However, he cautioned that suspected Ebola contamination should be handled by authorised, specially trained response personnel.

PECNA called for greater transparency in Nigeria’s Ebola preparedness efforts, accountability for preventive measures and emergency funding, stronger enforcement of environmental health standards, and the formal inclusion of professional cleaning associations in national infection prevention programmes.

“We have mobilised cleaners, organised trainings and engaged regulators because we understand that cleaning is fundamental to public health. Government must now match these efforts with decisive action.

“Nigeria cannot continue to celebrate emergency responses while neglecting everyday prevention. A nation that fails to take cleaning seriously is compromising an essential part of its public health protection,” Yazeed said.