EVD: Benson Idahosa Varsity develops own sanitizer, screen students, staff
As part of measures to prevent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) infection, the management of the Benson Idahosa University (BIU), Benin City, said the university has developed its own sanitizer, just as old and new students resuming into the campus are subjected to screening by the institution’s health officials.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ernest Izevbigie, told Tribune Education that the invention of the BIU-branded sanitizer is aimed at contributing to the fight against the dreaded virus.
Professor Izevbigie said the sanitizer was developed by microbiologists at the Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences of the university.
He said: “The school’s brand of sanitizer called BIU Sanitizer was developed by the Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences. That was the challenge I issued to them; to come up with effective sanitizer for the prevention and containment of the spread of the disease.
“The sanitizer has been empirically determined; it is as effective as any of these commercial brands we have or even better than them.
“At this time, we are very comfortable in saying that the BIU sanitizer brand is suitable and even better than those we have outside there.
“We will try to distribute and make it available to our staff and students. It is not going to be free, but will be sold at subsidised rate because we are very interested in the safety of our staff and students.