Ebola: UNICEF Trains 5,000 Nigerian Teachers in Port Harcourt

The United Nations Children’s Fund on Tuesday said it had trained over 5,000 teachers at the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on how to save lives, contain the Ebola Virus Disease and avoid stigmatisation.

A statement by the agency’s Communication Specialist (Media and External Relations), Mr. Geoffrey Njoku, said the training was informed by preparations for the commencement of the 2014/15 academic year.

The statement quoted the Incident Manager at the EEOC, Faisal Shuaib, who is responsible for ensuring uniformity in the response to the Ebola outbreak, as saying, “with schools set to reopen this month, it is crucial that teachers understand how this disease is spread and how to protect oneself, so that they can pass on the message to their pupils.”

Njoku said, "Educating the public about Ebola is a key element in the strategy to contain the disease. UNICEF is supporting a major social mobilisation effort, with teams engaging the community at market places, bus stops, churches, in their homes, and at meetings with religious, traditional and other leaders."