EBOLA: FG confirms 10cases of Ebola as 177 remain under surveillance
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EBOLA: FG confirms 10cases of Ebola as 177 remain under surveillance
According to the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu on Monday in Abuja, Nigeria now has 10 confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease( EVD) with 177 persons under surveillance.
He made the disclosure while updating newsmen on the efforts made by the government to contain the disease.
In his words, "It has been 22 days since EVD first landed in Nigeria. As at today, 177 primary and secondary contacts of the index case have been placed under surveillance.
The 10th case was actually one of the nurses who also had contact with our index case; when she got ill we brought her into isolation, we just tested her over the weekend and she tested positive.
That is what makes it 10 cases since the last conference on Friday, between Friday and today, we have just one additional case that brings it to 10. Nine people developed EVD, bringing the total number of cases in Nigeria to 10; of these 10, two have died; the Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer and the Nigerian nurse, while 8 are alive and currently on treatment" he said.
The minister also disclosed that Nigeria was the first and only African country to have donated 3.5million dollars for humanitarian aid and capacity building to the three Ebola affected countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
He recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan had declared a national state of emergency and approved N1.9million intervention fund to combat the outbreak of the virus.
The Minister reiterated government's commitment to continue to discharge its responsibilities in confronting and stopping the outbreak of Ebola.
The Minister also spoke on the ongoing strike by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), he said government had consistently appeal to the association to call off the strike.
"We are still discussing with NMA, we are still pleading with the association to ask it's members to return to work, while we are still doing that, we have not gone to bed, we are not sleeping.
There are Doctors who are not part of the strike and they have been taking part in the management of these patients. We are still recruiting more volunteers because we need more people to come into the fight against Ebola.
Not only doctors because it includes health workers, nurses, environmental officers, sanitary officers, laboratory scientist, pharmacist and their likes", he said
The Minister urged the public to adhere to the self-precautionary measure of hand washing and avoid unnecessary contacts to control spread of the disease.
Meanwhile the campaign by Nigerians for those in quarantine to be given experimental drugs similar to what the two American Ebola patients received is getting more attention. Eminent Clergyman, Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners chapel, Nollywoods Osita Iheme (paw paw) and Kiki Omeli have already taken to social network channels to demand that the government of Nigeria and United states of America provide those drugs and needed symptomatic care to all those in quarantine in Lagos. They cited the case of Nurse Obi Justina Ejelonu who was among those that treated the Liberian American, Patrick Sawyer, and is now in quarantine as a result of Ebola infection.
The condition of the place of quarantine is also receiving reviews from Nigerian mainstream and online media with groups like Oganiru Ndigbo Foundation (aka Igboville) leading the charge. Nurse Justina is believed to be a member of the group made up of over 18,000 members spread across the globe.
In a release to newsmen, the President Gneral of the group, Barrister Jennifer Agbomma insisted that the group will hold Nigerian and United states governments responsible “if Justina or any of her colleagues die in quarantine as a result of lack of action or delayed action by the authorities”. According to her, the experimental drugs used in treating the two Americans should be used to treat Nurse Justina and others “since no human life is more important than another”.
The group has since launched awareness campaign on the plight of the quarantines using harsh tag GiveThemExperimentalDrugs.
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