More feared infected with Ebola virus

Staff of the Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse, Monrovia

There were fears, yesterday, that six of the eight primary contacts of the late Patrick Sawyer, may have tested positive to the Ebola virus, but are yet to show signs of the disease.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has said that the seven remaining primary contacts currently in quarantine are showing no signs of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD.

It was confirmed from a source that the six feared to have tested positive are among those who had serious contact with the late Liberian Ebola victim.

According to the source who pleaded anonymity, the situation is becoming a big challenge even now that the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, is on strike. The source advised the Federal Government to take the matter more seriously and deploy all available resources to curtail further spread of the virus, adding, however, that efforts are being made to create more centres for possible isolation of the latest victims.

Already, unconfirmed reports have it that the Lagos State Government was considering setting up an Ebola Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, following the facility’s capability to cater for such situation.

“As I am speaking to you this morning, (yesterday) six of the eight contacts that were quarantined have tested positive to Ebola virus, but are not showing signs or symptoms yet. But they are still being monitored. Right now, they cannot be treated because Nigeria has no specific viral drug, and we cannot use the American viral drug.

“There are efforts now  to ensure that the country comes up with possible viral drug within the next month to treat infected Nigerians. For now, we are only boosting their immune systems by giving them healthy foods.  There is problem on ground and we should be doing what is needed to put an end to it.”

Govt tracking families of infected doctor

At a press conference in Lagos, a medical team comprising officials of federal and state governments in collaboration with World Health Organisation, WHO, said they have commenced tracking of families of the Nigerian doctor, who tested positive to EVD, and seven others under surveillance and monitoring.

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, said the infected doctor, who attended to late Patrick Sawyer at a private hospital in Lagos, was the only confirmed case of EVD to date out of the eight primary contacts under clinical surveillance and care. “She is currently being administered on intensive medication,” he noted.

“Her being infected is largely due to the fact that she was a primary contact when the index case presented itself. At this point, the disease was not known to have been imported into the country, ” he said.

Giving an update, Idris disclosed that experts have confirmed that not all persons infected by the disease may die as there are chances that victims detected early may live, depending on how they are managed. He said that the fatality rate is between 40 – 90 per cent.

Idris, along with the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba and his Special Duties counterpart, Dr. Wale Ahmed, also debunked rumours about the mode of spread of Ebola, saying transmission is only through secretions from an infected person and contact.

He stressed that the essence of the briefing was to harp on the mode of transmission of EVD for education of the general public, stressing that the disease is transmissible through direct contact with broken skin, mucous membranes and secretions of an infected person or through direct contact with materials and surfaces that have been contaminated by an infected person.

Idris warned the public to be very careful in the treatment of sick people by alerting the necessary authorities of any severe cases of illness.