The battle to contain the spread of the Ebola Virus
Disease, EVD, in Nigeria suffered a setback, yesterday, as the virus evaded a
surveillance team in Lagos and claimed its first victim, a medical doctor in
Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Governor of the state, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and
the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu both confirmed the news.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Governor Amaechi in a special
broadcast said: “We woke up this morning to the sad confirmation that the dreaded
Ebola Virus Disease has claimed its first victim in Rivers State.
Dr. Iyke Sam Enemuo died last Friday, August 22, 2014 as
a result of what was suspected to be Ebola Virus Disease. The State Ministry of
Health on becoming aware of the conditions of his death, immediately commenced
investigations and contact tracing.
As at today, about 100 contacts from a hotel, patients of
Dr. Enemuo and patients of the hospital where the late Enemuo was treated until
his demise, have been identified and restricted. The different locations are
being decontaminated.” Governor Amaechi in the broadcast said.
Our investigations reveal that
*A staff of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) on the team that received late Dr. Patrick Sawyer, the
Liberian-American diplomat, who died of Ebola haemorrhagic disease in Lagos,
made a trip to Port Harcourt, where he checked into a hotel and met with Dr.
Iyke Sam Enemuo.
*About a week after his departure, Dr. Iyke Enemuo took
ill and was rushed to a hospital with symptoms of fever, diarrhoea and
vomiting. In the course of treatment, the managing physician became suspicious
and took blood samples for investigation.
*A few days later, Dr. Iyke Enemuo died, precisely on
August 22, 2014. Dr. Iyke Enemuo’s widow, who is also a medical doctor and who
cared for him during his illness has taken ill. She is being quarantined.
*The diplomat who was seen by late Dr. Iyke Enemuo is
alive and well.
Governor Amaechi assured that, “there’s no need to panic.
Everyone should remain calm and go about their normal businesses. The
Government of Rivers State is doing everything possible to contain the effects
and spread of the Ebola virus. We have the material and human resources we need
to fight and defeat the deadly virus. Officials from the Federal Ministry of
Health and other international agencies are already here working with the state
Ministry of Health to contain and combat the virus.
“Now, we must all endeavour to adhere to basic hygiene
rules. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water and avoid unnecessary body
contacts like shaking of hands. Anyone with symptoms indicative of diarrhoea,
high fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, excessive weakness of the body and
unexplained bleeding, should call these our Ebola emergency numbers:
08167733939, 07036321076, 08033124314 or our State emergency call centre: 112.
“It is a known fact that early detection and appropriate
medical attention increases the chances of survival of an infected person.
People have survived Ebola and more people can survive it. There is no need or
reason to hide or run away. Seek immediate medical help. Call our Ebola help
lines. Together, we can contain and defeat the Ebola virus”.
EVD cases now 15
Giving an update on the disease at a press conference in
Abuja, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu said the number of Ebola
Virus Disease (EVD) cases in the country has risen from 13 to 15.
According to him, “the total number of EVD cases so far
reported in Nigeria stands at 15; the total number of cases treated at our
isolation ward stands at 13; the total number of those discharged is seven; the
total number of deaths from those treated in Lagos is five and the total number
currently under treatment is one and the person is stable and improving
clinically,”
He said: “The additional two cases were not treated at
the isolation ward in Lagos. One of them is a primary contact of the index
case, Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian American, who brought the virus to Nigeria.
Even though the extra case does not presently have EVD, further laboratory
tests indicated he had suffered EVD. The primary contact of Mr. Sawyer evaded
the surveillance team in the last week of July and travelled out of Lagos to
Port Harcourt where he consulted a doctor and was apparently treated for some
symptoms of the virus.
“After four days, following a manhunt for him, he returned
to Lagos by which time he was found to be without symptoms. This case would
have been of no further interest since he had completed the 21 days of
surveillance without any other issue, but for the fact that the doctor who
treated him died last Friday, August 22, 2014. Following the report of this
death by the doctor’s widow the next day, the case has been thoroughly
investigated and laboratory analysis showed that this doctor died from EVD.
“As a result, several contacts have now been traced,
registered and placed under surveillance. However, because the widow is now
symptomatic, she has been quarantined pending the outcome of laboratory tests
on her,” the minister said.
He, however, noted that the Incident Management Committee
has already deployed a team to Port Harcourt to work with the health
authorities of Rivers State. He assured that, just like the situation has
effectively been managed in Lagos and Enugu, the situation in Port Harcourt
will also similarly be effectively handled and that the Ministry of Health had
started to do so.
He added that, “the total number of persons under
surveillance include six in Enugu, 70 in Port Harcourt, (of all these 70, only
one person has so far shown symptoms), 141 in Lagos. Since we started this
journey of Ebola virus in Nigeria, 200 contacts had completed their 21 days and
we are no longer tracking them.
“The total number of deaths from Ebola Virus Disease in
Nigeria is, therefore, now six; the index case Mr. Sawyer, the four primary
contacts that died in the isolation ward in Lagos, and a doctor that died in
Port Harcourt, whose blood sample tested positive after death. Also, 70 persons
have been placed under surveillance in Port Harcourt.”
“I want to charge the residents of Port Harcourt not to
panic over this situation as the experience we have gathered from Lagos and
Enugu respectively indicate that there is no cause for alarm when you have the
government fully in control of the situation.”
The Minister appealed to all contacts under surveillance
in Lagos and Enugu to abide by the advice given to them by the Incident
Management Committee.
“With regard to Enugu, all secondary contacts will be
followed up till tomorrow (today) when they are all expected to be discharged
from our surveillance.
“His body has not been disposed of yet. The contact team
moved immediately to Port Harcourt last Saturday, then the treatment group
moved in yesterday morning (Wednesday). The mobile laboratory will move in to
Port Harcourt on Saturday. Nobody should panic. We are on top of it.”
No mass gatherings
“We are asking people not to hold mass gatherings, but if
you must hold mass gatherings, you must meet with us. If we review and find out
that we cannot guarantee, the Minister of Health will use the power that he
has. If he said it cannot hold because of Ebola, it cannot hold.
“We are discouraging mass gatherings. You need to take
permission from us when you are organizing mass gatherings, otherwise, we may
disrupt it suddenly. You shouldn’t blame us for that. We are very serious about
it.
“If you are going to do any mass gathering outside
religious worship which we have generally granted, but anything beyond that,
you must let us know. It does not mean that we have banned public gatherings,
but if you must hold it, you must let the health authorities know so that they
work with you.
“If in the end, the health authorities are not convinced
that it is not a risky business, we may stop you or withhold you and clear you
at the appropriate time. If working with you, we find out that we can actually
put it under control, we then clear you to proceed. We are not panicking about
it but we want to do things in a mature way to protect every resident of
Nigeria and protect the rest of the world”.
-vanguard
-vanguard
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