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| Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu |
Chukwu made this known in Abuja
as Reuters news agency quoted the Geneva-based World Health Organisation as
saying in a statement that Nigeria had four cases, of which three were classed
as ‘probable’ Ebola and one as ‘suspected.’
Sawyer, who arrived at the
Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on July 20, died at an Obalende hospital five days after.
Chukwu said, ‘‘This is now the
second case of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria. This victim is one of the
doctors who attended to the patient who brought Ebola virus to Nigeria.’’
He also told journalists in Abuja
that ‘‘about eight other persons who came into contact with Sawyer, and who had
developed the Ebola symptoms, had been quarantined while 70 others were under
surveillance.’’
The minister said, “All those who
came into contact with the late Sawyer depending on the level of contact are
still being traced and being invited every day and they are placed under
surveillance just to ensure that the spread of disease is curtailed.”
He added that the Federal
Government was currently reinforcing the technical working group on Ebola to include
35 state governments. Lagos State already has a TWG.
The minister allayed the fears
being expressed by the public about the
corpses that were brought into Anambra and Imo states from some countries which
already had records of the deadly disease.
He said, “Medical records have
proved that the corpse taken to Imo State was not carrying Ebola while test is
being carried out on the one taken to Anambra State.
‘‘We are collaborating with all
the state governments to establish isolation wards for persons proven
symptomatic to Ebola and a 24- hour emergency operation centre.”
The minister also on Monday
inaugurated an Ebola Treatment and Research Group with a mandate to carry out
an extensive research into the Ebola virus.
Chukwu said the group would
receive and verify claims on Ebola cure; collate and analyse researches on the
virus and advise the government as may be appropriate.
The group, according to the
minister, has the Director – General of the Nigerian Institute of
Pharmaceutical Research and Development and the Director-General of the
Nigerian Institute of Medical Research as chairmen.
He added that the Nigerian
researcher, who had found evidence of Bitter Kola inhibiting the growth of
Ebola virus, Prof. Maurice Iwu,and the Director-General of the Nigerian Centre
for Disease Control are also members of the group. Iwu was also a former
chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Chukwu said, “Although the
research on bitter kola was not concluded, no progress can be made without
research. For now, there is no scientifically proven vaccine or drug for the
treatment of Ebola.”
He assured the public that the
Federal Government was doing everything
to stop the outbreak of the disease but enjoined everybody to embrace
good hygiene by constantly washing their hands.
Also on Monday, the President of
the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, Dr. Steven
Oluwole, said that only one authentic
case of Ebola had been documented in Nigeria.
He added that “the risk to all contacts of the
case are theoretically unlikely to be uniform.”
Oluwole stressed the need for
tracing, screening, follow-up on all
contacts and effective control at Nigerian borders as means of
checking the spread of the virus.
He described the virus as “a filovirus, which is transmitted
to humans from contact with infected wild animals, or consumption of their raw
or undercooked meat.”
The scientist listed the
susceptible animals as fruit bats,
monkeys, chimpanzees and antelopes.
He noted that human to human
transmission primarily occurs through contact with body fluids of infected
persons, adding that skin and mucous membranes are the main routes of entry.
Infected doctor is not dead –FG
Just minutes after Chukwu and
Oluwole spoke, there were rumours that the doctor who treated Sawyer had died.
The rumour was quickly dismissed
by the Director, Centre for Disease Control, Abuja, Prof. Abdulsalami Nasidi.
Nasidi told journalists in Lagos that the doctor
had been quarantined and was presently receiving treatment .
He said, ,”We will not be able to
release the name of the new contact; but we know that the person is a doctor
and a female. The patient is not dead. She is alive. Experts from the local and
international organisations are attending to the patient.”
Lagos plans another isolation centre, may isolate 10 people
In Lagos, We gathered that the
state government had begun renovating another centre at the Mainland Infectious
Diseases Hospital, Yaba , to isolate and accommodate some of the people that
had direct contact with the late
Sawyer.
A reliable source, who is also on
the team of experts monitoring the testing and surveillance of persons who came
into contact with Sawyer, said the
building would give more room for them to contain possible infections.
He said, “ We are presently renovating
another building at the hospital, so that we can isolate more contacts. This is
now important with the recent development. We need to increase vigilance on
surveillance on persons who came in contact with him.
“For now, we are looking at
isolating at least 10 people that had first contact with him (Sawyer). This is
in line with the stated guidelines for the monitoring of the virus by the World
Health Organisation.”
The source added that the state
government might earmark the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja,
as another hospital for isolated persons.
It was learnt that this caused panic among health workers and
patients at LASUTH.
A nurse who spoke on condition of
anonymity with one of our correspondents, expressed fears that the plan might
lead to an outbreak of the disease in the hospital.
She said, “We have been told that
it is possible that they may bring in more people that came into contact with
him (Sawyer) here. We are scared that LASUTH may not be the best place to bring
anybody who may have contracted an highly infectious disease like Ebola. There
is too much exposure for us, the health workers and other patients who come to
the hospital.”
Earlier, the state Commissioner
for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, appealed to striking doctors under the aegis of the
Nigerian Medical Association to call off their strike and join the government
to fight the Ebola virus.
He said the government would be offering incentives to
any health worker who volunteered to work with the team of doctors treating any infected person.
Idris said, “ We also welcome
volunteers from the health profession and those who do so shall be given
incentives. We also appeal to residents to support the government in fighting
the scourge by being cautious.
‘‘As of today, one person out of
the eight people who came into contact with the late victim of Ebola has tested
positive. The state has established isolation and treatment centre for the patient.
“The members of staff at this
centre have also been trained on how to treat and handle patients under their care. The hospital is
also provided with enough facilities to ensure that the officials and other
patients do not contact the virus.
“The patients under our
surveillance were those who came into contact with the late Liberian-American.
And the rapid response team has been in communication with these patients who
developed fever and other symptoms.
“We will not stop in tracking all
those who came into contact with Mr.
Sawyer. They remain in isolation until the confirmatory results are in and
those who test positive for the virus will remain in isolation until they are
no longer infectious.”
FCTA advises residents
In Abuja, the Federal Capital
Territory Administration called on the
residents to be vigilant and to report any suspicious case to a health
facility nearest to them.
The FCTA Secretary, Health and
Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Demola Onakomaiya, made the call at an emergency meeting with the management staff of the secretariat
on the preparedness of the FCTA to tackle the
disease.
Noting that Ebola virus could be
devastating to families and communities, he said it could be controlled through
the use of recommended protective measures.
Airlines operators to introduce
masks, gloves
Meanwhile, the upsurge of the Ebola virus has been giving airline operators sleepless
nights.
Investigations showed that officials of the airlines have
been busy working on measures to ensure
the safety of their passengers and crew
members.
One of such strategies, We learnt
on Monday, is to have their cabin crew members wear gloves permanently in both
local and international flights.
In addition, cabin crew members
might wear masks to cover their mouths and noses,
especially during international flights.
This, according to one of the
airline officials, is to reduce the
risk of spreading or contracting the disease.
He said, “We are concerned because
this Ebola issue is a serious one and all eyes are on the aviation industry. We
the operators are on our toes also because it is risky for our officials who
are on duty on a daily basis. The issue of gloves may soon be mandatory for
everybody and we are still looking at other options.”
US to send 50 experts to W’Africa
The United States has said it will in the next
30 days send 50 health experts to West
Africa to help contain the Ebola outbreak.
The director of the US Centres
for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Tom Frieden, who made this known in a
statement, described the Ebola outbreak as
“ the biggest and most complex
in history.”
He said, “It will take many
months, and it won’t be easy, but Ebola can be stopped. We know what needs to
be done. CDC is surging our response, sending 50 additional disease control
experts to the region in the next 30 days.”
Trial drug sent to US Ebola victims in Liberia
A representative of the US
National Institutes of Health is said to have contacted the Samaritan’s Purse
in Liberia and offered an experimental treatment, known as ZMapp, for the two
American patients who had contracted the virus.
Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy
Writebol, who work with the Samaritan’s Purse, an aid organisation, were
believed to have contracted the virus from another health care worker in a Liberian hospital.
ZMapp was developed by the
biotech firm, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc.
Brantly and Writebol were told
that ZMapp which was developed by the biotech firm, Mapp Biopharmaceutical
Inc., had never been tried before in a human being but that it had shown promise in small experiments with
monkeys.
WHO said in its statement on
Monday that Guinea has suffered the highest death toll with 358 fatalities out
of 485 confirmed Ebola cases so far. Sierra Leone has had the largest number of
cases, 646 overall, and 273 deaths, while Liberia has had 468 cases and 255
deaths.
Who said apart from Sawyer’s, the
other probable Ebola cases in Nigeria were a health-care worker and a Nigerian
who had been to Guinea.
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