ABUJA – Federal Government Friday
confirmed the Ebola Virus death that claimed
one Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian man
suspected to have imported the deadly Ebola
virus into Lagos.
Announcing this in Abuja, the Minister of
Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the
patient was subjected to thorough medical
evaluation where laboratory investigations
were also carried out and his blood sample
taken to the advanced laboratory at the Lagos
University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, WHO
reference laboratory in Darkar Senegal and
CDC laboratory in Atlanta, USA, which
confirmed the diagnosis of Ebola Virus
Disease.
It will be
recalled
that the
confirmation of the outbreak of the virus in
Lagos on Thursday, July 24 by the Lagos
State Ministry of health caused panic across
the country.
This was after Nigerians were alerted on 22nd
July, 2014, on a suspected case of Ebola Virus
Disease, in Lagos involving a 40 year old man
traveling from Monrovia, Liberia to Nigeria on
Asky Airline via Lome to Lagos.
The passenger was said to have fever, and
vomiting with diarrhea on arrival at the
airport and was handed over by the airline to
the Port health Services of the Federal
ministry of Health, who quickly isolated him
and transported him straight to the hospital
to avoid contact with the general public.
But after the confirmation of the results by
other laboratories outside Nigeria and despite
the urgent specialized barrier nursing care
provided for the patient in a Lagos Hospital,
the patient unfortunately passed away in the
early hours of Friday.
As part of effort to contain the spread of the
virus, the health Minister said certain
measures had already been taken by the
Ministry, which include: tracing and
investigating all the passengers the patient
came with; placing all ports of entry under red
alert in line with WHO regulations; equipped
all government tertiary health institutions in
Nigeria to handle any emergency that may
arise from the disease and providing
supportive drugs and medical consumables at
all entry points and stepping up collaboration
with all the States of the federation.
‘‘I want to assure the general public that the
FMOH is presently working with other
ministries, agencies and international
organizations as well as the Lagos State
Government to prevent the possible spread of
the virus.
‘‘Emergency operation centres had been
established and coordinated by the Nigeria
Centre for Disease Control, NCDC of the
federal Ministry of health in collaboration with
an inter ministerial committee set up by the
President,’’ he added.
The committee according to him, is headed by
the Minister of Information, Mr. Maku was set
up to stimulate sensitization of the Nigerian
public on the danger and preventive measures
on Ebola Virus disease.
For any enquiry and complain concerning
Ebola Virus cases and outbreak, the Minister
said the following numbers had been opened
to reach the centre: 08023210923,
08097979595 and 07067352220 with an
email: ebolainfo@health.gov.ng .
He implored all citizens to be vigilant and
ensure improved personal and environmental
hygiene and to report any suspected case to
the nearest medical facility.
While stressing the need for citizens to be
vigilant and sensitive about the virus, the
Minister also said every needed measure to
control the possible spread of the virus had
been taken by the Ministry and urged
Nigerians to remain calm.
Also speaking on the development, the
Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku
said jingles and other awareness programmes
had been prepared by his committee to help
spread the awareness in the conventional
media and social media.
He however, appealed to all media outfits to
support government effort in curbing the
spread of the virus by airing the jingles and
other programmes lined up free of charge.
‘‘This is a national emergency and so, I expect
no demand for payment from any media to air
the jingles and programmes prepared by the
centre and Presidential committee on Ebola
virus.’’
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