Ebola : Experimental drug developed by Nigerian scientist arrives Nigeria Today
Ebola: Nurse, husband who escaped quarantine relocated to Lagos in special ambulance – Minister
Nigerian Minister for Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has confirmed that the Lagos nurse who travelled to Enugu against medical advice is now back in Lagos and is under quarantine with her husband.
The suspect, identified as a nurse, said to have travelled to her home town to visit her family, is now under surveillance with 20 others she came into contact with in the city.
With the development, the total number of Nigerians under monitoring for the dreaded virus is now 198.
Revealing these facts yesterday after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, Information Minister, Labaran Maku, explained that Nigeria currently has 10 confirmed cases of Ebola, all stemming from the visit of the late Sawyer.
Maku explained that of the 198 persons under surveillance, 177 of them are in Lagos while 21 are in Enugu.
He said: “All those who had primary contact have been quarantined. Secondary contacts have also been traced. So far, the number of people that have been traced is 198.
“Of this number, 177 are in Lagos and are being traced. Some are in quarantine, some are being monitored by health specialists.”
Meanwhile, the death toll world wide from the outbreak stands at 1,069 and total number of infections 1,975, according to the World Health Organisation.
Ebola: Nigeria turns back corpse flown in from Egypt
Aviation Authorities, Wednesday night, turned back a corpse flown into the country from Egypt at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Airport officials disallowed the family of the deceased from collecting the body flown in aboard Egypt Air at about 11.30 pm.
Airport sources revealed that the stand by Nigerian officials was in compliance with the Federal Government directives that banned the transportation of corpses within and outside the country – a move to check the spread of Ebola Virus Disease.
The source explained that “though Egypt is not among the countries with the Ebola outbreak, it is better to take precautionary measures by not entertaining any exception in the movement of corpses in the country.”
The source revealed that the corpse is that of a Nigerian who had gone to the Pharaoh’s country for medical treatment.”
“We plead with the family members who had turned up at the Airport to received his corpse to bear with us in the face of a big national question that requires the understanding of citizens to surmount”, the source explained.
When contacted, Avaition Skokesman, Alhaji Yakubu Datti, decline to comment on the issue but asked journalists to seek confirmation from the Federal Ministry of Health.
Datti Said; ” the airport is run by a combination of official drawn from strategic ministries and since your enquiry bothers on health, I would advise you cross check your facts from Federal Ministry of Health”.
Kwara state government Friday announced the immediate closure of a private hospital in Ilorin over a suspected Ebola Virus contaminations even as the government urged residents in the state not to panic noting that though the case was a global case, but that Kwara state is safe.
The Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Public Health,Professor Sunday Popoola,in company of his counterpart from the Secondary Health,Dr Ibrahim Gambari said this at a press conference in the government house, Ilorin.Professor Popoola told journalists that a seven month old baby girl brought to a private hospital in Ilorin was suspected to have the Ebola virus adding that the victim has been isolated and quarantined in Sobi Specialist hospital.
He explained that the suspected baby girl came into the state with her mother as visitors from Ibadan Oyo state, adding that upon their entry into the state in August the child was taken to the private hospital on malaria case .He however expressed shock that after the baby had spent 3 days on admission there was no sign of improvement hence the doctor reported the case to the ministry for prompt action.
Professor Popoola noted that after close examination the patient vomit was discovered to have traces of blood in it, which was taken and sent to Lagos for laboratory examination.He said “if not of the situation on ground, malaria, cholera and other cases in babies can come with such symptoms like that of Ebola virus.
“We have ordered the concerned private hospital closed and kept it on a very strict surveillance.”Popoola explained that the state government can not take chances hence the reason the hospital was closed down and surveillance was put in place to prevent any possible spread.
He however disclosed that the state government has already ordered the purchase of Ebola test machine form Abuja and it is to be installed at the Kwara Diagnostic centre .He noted that the state has created three Isolation centres one in Sobi Specialist Hospital, Omu-Aran general hospial and the general hospital Okuta on the boarder town of the state .
