Ebola-infected Italian doctor ‘recovering’

An Italian doctor who contracted Ebola in west
Africa is recovering but is still in an isolation unit,
the specialist clinic in Rome treating him said
Monday.
The Spallanzani institute said on Twitter that the
50-year-old medic — who has not been named —
was in a “good condition” and was “recovering in
isolation”.
The father of two was repatriated in November
from Sierra Leone with a fever and given an
experimental drug to try to combat the often-
deadly virus.
The doctor — who became the first Italian to be
infected with Ebola while volunteering for an
Italian medical charity fighting the epidemic — can
now breathe, walk and eat unassisted.
Ebola, a disease transmitted through the bodily
fluids of infected people, can result in death from
uncontrollable bleeding and organ failure.
The current Ebola epidemic in west Africa — the
worst ever recorded — has so far killed around
7,350 people.

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FG Clears First Consultants To Re-Open

Empty hospital…….no doctors

The Federal Government has issued a Certification of Decontamination to First Consultants Medical Centre, the hospital in Lagos which treated Nigeria’s Ebola index case, Patrick Sawyer. They have also been given the permission to re-open for business.

In two letters from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, both parties notified First Consultants that it had been cleared to reopen for business, having undergone three rounds of state-certified decontamination processes.
The Lagos State Government also commiserated with the hospital over the loss of its medical personnel, “who died in the line of duty” and expressed its appreciation for the altruistic role it played in containing and managing the Ebola virus, “thus preventing an epidemic.
“The Ministry is in receipt of a letter dated August 29, 2014, from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Ebola Emergency Centre, Lagos, informing that your facility has had three rounds of state-certified decontamination process.
“The Ministry acknowledges the role your facility played in alerting the State Government of the index case of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and appreciates your altruistic gestures in containing and managing this dealy virus, thus preventing an epidemic.
“We also commiserate with you on your members of staff who died in the line of duty.
“First Consultants has now been cleared to reopen for business. We hope that with this reopening, your facility will continue to maintain its high quality of standards”, the statement said
First Consultants was shut down and quarantined by the Federal Government on July 26 in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) protocol on the virus, following the death of Sawyer at the hospital on July 25.
The hospital lost a number of its health care workers to the Ebola outbreak, including its Senior Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, Dr. A. S. Adadevoh.

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Commissioner Says There Is No Ebola In Delta State

 

The Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Chike Ogeah, has debunked the rumours that the Ebola virus had spread into Delta State.

Speaking on the Monday edition of Sunrise Daily on Channels Television, he explained that a severely ill patient was indeed brought into the Federal Medical Centre in Asaba with some symptoms of the Ebola virus and this caused panic among citizens, which led to the wrong information being spread.

He, however, said that the state was proactive as they were already prepared for such situations and the patient was immediately isolated while his blood sample was sent for testing.

Before the test results, which revealed that the patient had something else, came out, the rumour had already spread wide that Delta had Ebola.

He also explained that there was a similar situation of a diabetic patient of an hospital who was also severely ill but was later found to have aggravated his own condition by consuming a lot of salt based on the rumour of its capacity to cure Ebola. This patient later died, according to him.

Ogeah expressed disappointment at the manner in which wrong information have been spreading since the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria. He noted that Delta State has taken all necessary steps to keep the state safe and what would be needed from the citizens is cooperation.

He stressed that people would always fall ill and fever would always be one of the regular symptoms but that should not always lead to rumours of Ebola.

“We don’t compromise our health standards in Delta,” he said, adding that this has been validated by the international musical concert holding in Asaba, the state capital, on October 1, which has not been cancelled despite similar events being cancelled in other states.

Speaking further about the state’s safety status ahead of the concert that features American music stars like Ja Rule, he said; “They did their check in America and if they have heard anything to the contrary they would have cancelled the show.”

He added that Delta’s approach to sensitization was a continuous one using both traditional and new media platforms in addition to town criers who go out to enlighten the people.

“We want to make sure that our citizenry is not unnecessary panicked,” he said.

He also said that a crack team of medical experts have been set up to ensure that the health workers in the state also update their knowledge of the virus and adhere to modern management skills.

Mr Ogeah emphasized the need to focus on healthy habits that would help curtail the spread of the virus.

The Commissioner also gave assurances of the readiness of Delta State for the resumption of schools on September 22, as reviewed by the Federal Government on Friday.

He said that Delta would be doing the usual things expected of the state but with emphasis on the different categories of caregivers who cater to the children as they were aware of the sensitive nature of their task of protecting the children.

School bus drivers, nannies, class teachers and others, according to Ogeah, would be mandated to adhere to recommended hygienic practices because of their closeness to the children. They would also be given proper trainings on the nature of the Ebola virus and how to prevent it.

This is in addition to the provision of water in all schools in the state.

Mr Ogeah commended the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government for their handling of the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, adding that he never expected less from the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola.

He called on Nigerians not to politicize the Ebola matter and to shun every form of stigmatization of patients and also states where the virus has been confirmed.

Delta Politics

Ogeah said that the focus of the Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, as regards the politics of the state, would be to ensure that his successor is someone who has the capacity to surpass his achievements in the state.

He stated that irrespective of the permutations of politicians in the different zones of the state, the most important factor would be fairness in the electoral process that produces the next Governor of the state.

While he acknowledged the idea of zoning, which he referred to as a gentleman agreement, and which zones the Office of the Governor for the next dispensation to Delta North, he stressed that there would be a level playing ground for all candidates to contest.

WATCH VIDEO

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Ebola : Number Of Confirmed Cases Stands At 19

 

The total number of confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria stands at 19, 15 of which are in Lagos and four in Port Harcourt, and that’s according to the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu.

The 19th case, according to the Minister is the fiancé of one of the primary contacts with Mr Sawyer who died of the disease.

The test results of the said case were unclear but further tests established the disease with only mild symptoms which he has since recovered from.

The Minister added that he was quarantined but because of the initial nature of his test results, he was not placed on active treatment.

The Minister further revealed that the total number of deaths from the Ebola virus disease in Nigeria stands at seven, five of which happened in Lagos and the other two in Port Harcourt, while the total number of patients who have been successfully managed and discharged stands at nine.

The latest is the sister of the Port Harcourt doctor who was discharged from the isolation ward in Rivers State on Sunday .

At the moment only one person, the wife of the Port Harcourt doctor, is on treatment in the isolation ward in Lagos and the Minister says she no longer has any symptoms and is undergoing series of tests preparatory to her discharge from the isolation ward this week.

Regarding contacts currently under surveillance in Lagos, the minister said that there were 27 contacts still under surveillance while a total of 339 contacts, who were previously on surveillance, have been discharged having completed 21 days of observation,.

However, in Port Harcourt, 477 contacts are under surveillance.

The Minister has urged countries around the world to desist from profiling individuals from countries currently grappling with the Ebola virus.

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Ebola: Spectators to be screened before Super Eagles’ match in Calabar

 

The Nigerian government is monitoring nearly 400 people for signs of Ebola after they came in contact with a Port Harcourt doctor, who died of the disease, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Dr. Abdulsalami Nasidi, project director at Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, said there was a sense of “hopelessness” due to the lack of proven drugs or vaccines to treat Ebola that has infected 18 people in Africa’s most populous nation.
In an interview with Reuters in Geneva, he said that more isolation wards were being opened in the oil industry hub but voiced confidence that there would not be “many cases” there.
After having contact with an Ebola patient and before his own death on Aug. 22, the Port Harcourt doctor, Iyke Enemuo, carried on treating patients and met scores of friends, relatives and medics, leaving about 60 of them at high risk of infection, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
The doctor’s wife, who is also a physician, and a patient in the same hospital has been infected with Ebola, the WHO said.
“Everything about this doctor was in secrecy, he violated our public health laws by treating a patient with a highly pathogenic agent who revealed to him that he had contact with Ebola and didn’t want to be treated in Lagos because he might be put in isolation”, Nasidi said.
“He treated him in secrecy outside hospital premises. When he became ill, he did not reveal to his colleagues that he had contact with someone who contracted Ebola. He was taken to General Hospital, a private hospital that sees everybody.
“That is the only case that effectively escaped our surveillance network. We are paying now for it”, Nasidi said.
He spoke on the sidelines of a two-day WHO experts meeting aimed at speeding development of Ebola drugs and vaccines.
The deadly virus can be spread by direct contact with body fluids and secretions of an infected person or during traditional burial rituals, the WHO said.
The latest outbreak, which has spread from Guinea to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal and, with the death toll at more than 1,900 people as of Wednesday, has killed more people than all outbreaks since Ebola was first uncovered in 1976.
“People are living in a state of hopelessness seeing the disease has no cure and no vaccine but has great potential to spread”, Nasidi said.
Nasidi said the Port Harcourt doctor was visited by friends and family in hospital, including some who “laid hands” on him.
“As we are talking now, we have more than 380 of such contacts in our dragnet”, he said.
Those at high risk are being quarantined, and some 500 volunteers and health care workers are checking on all exposed people twice a day, he said.
A 28-bed isolation ward for Ebola patients has opened in the city, which is home to many expatriate workers in major international oil companies, but authorities did not forecast many more cases, Nasidi said.
He said most of the exposed contacts were near the end of the 21-incubation period for the disease, which starts with fever and muscle pain, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea.

“So we are monitoring and are sure we shan’t miss out on any contacts that come out with infection that could be transmitted. A contact who has no symptoms doesn’t transmit even if he has the virus. So this is why we are hopeful”, he said.

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“Ebola case in Liberia will be child’s play; health supersedes education” – Nigerians warn against Sept. 22 resumption

Many Nigerians have disagreed with the new directive by the federal government that all private and public primary, secondary schools resume September 22.
The reviewed date made public on Friday was a reverse of the initial October 13 date approved by the Federal Executive Council, FEC.
The federal government had considered the option of keeping all schools closed as a precautionary measure against the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease.
Latest figures shows that the virus has killed 2000 in West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nigeria has officially recorded seven deaths.
Reacting to NewsGenesis’s report on the September 22 date, respondents wondered why the federal government postponed resumption in the first place, asking which is wise of re-opening schools and ensuring a disease-free society.
Corper Basil from Abia state said: “One thing I like about Ebola is that even the Minister is not safe. I don’t know what is wrong with our leaders. That is how they were so reluctant on Boko haram initially; now see the nature of our security. Bet me, if out of their ignorance, the resumption of schools goes awry, Liberia will be better than Nigeria on EVD.”
Demola, responded this way: “These people are grossly incompetent. How could they think it is okay for schools to resume in September when d country is still on a high red alert. I thought the Minister of Health assured that the EVD was only in Lagos and boom another case in Port-Harcourt. These people (government officials) have their children studying abroad and that’s why they care less – just like the missing Chibok girls. EVD should never have entered Nigeria if Chukwu (Health Minister) had taken appropriate precautionary measures.”
A female commentator, Susan accused leaders of wrong policies and at the same time looting funds meant for the education sector to sponsor their wards to study abroad.
“These morons have no regard whatsoever for human lives. They don’t have their children here. If so, I doubt they would suggest our children go back to school while the nation tries to get grip of the deadly Ebola virus. They rule over us like we are cattle; making foolish decisions without thinking twice will destroy us if they are not stopped.”
Another respondent, Ren, advised the Minister to withdraw the latest directive, saying a dead child cannot be educated. “The current health situation in the country is far more pressing than academic matters. Nigerians should stand up and protest against school resumption.”
Florence Obafemi, adding her voice posited: “It is not for the good of our children because it is difficult to tell little children not to play with others. Our innocent children must be protected at all cost. Forget the cry of some private school owners. Some are protesting because of the money they are losing due to the postponement.”
Bassey, for his part, posed series of questions: “Can someone please tell me what is wrong with our leaders? What is the rush all about? Is one month to wait for Ebola to be eradicated in the country too much? If there was war in the country, won’t the schools wait ? If the private schools want to open, let them go ahead and do so, but they must sign an undertaken in case anything goes wrong in the lives of our children. We are just too careless in this part of the world.”
A certain ‘Stay’ also asked when the FG started caring about the future of the young ones. According to him, “Teachers/lecturers can be on strike for as long as possible, yet there won’t be any intervention. Poor people are always at the receiving end, their children are either grown-ups or not resident in Nigeria. God help the masses!”
Joining the debate, an anonymous commentator insisted that the previous resumption date (13th of October) remains the best choice as it will give the government time to think on how to resolve the issue better.
Continuing, “I personally would never allow my kids resume while the Ebola issue is still very much at hand. So please I’m begging the government on behalf of my family to let be 13th of October”.
Supporting government, however, one of the respondents, Michael, opined that since the Minister of health has deemed it fit that schools re-open on September 22, the directive should be respected.
Welcoming the new date, a supporter stated that the academic career of the children would be affected if schools remain shut, while another, Promise by name, went spiritual. He called on Nigerians to “leave everything to God because children can get Ebola Virus Disease at home or in school. We should keep praying against further outbreak,” he said.
Another angle to the discussion was taken by Alake, who opposed calls by some persons that other states can open classrooms on September 22, while schools in Lagos and Port-Harcourt remain shut till next month.

“That is not a good decision because some of these children actually travel to different places including Lagos and Port-Harcourt, so please let the resumption date remain 13th October.”

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Ebola: First Rivers patient dies

The first confirmed Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, case in Rivers State of whom the victim was among the three persons quarantined in Oduoha, Emohua Local Government Area, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has died of the disease.
The death of the patient- elderly woman brings to seven Ebola fatalities to have been recorded in the country, and the first death in the new Port Harcourt isolation centre for Ebola.
Reports say the deceased shared the same room with late Dr. Iyke Enemuo, the doctor who treated the Nigerian ECOWAS diplomat, Koye Olu-Ibukun at the Good Heart Hospital, Port Harcourt, prior to the former’s death from EVD.
It would be recalled that the late woman was quarantined alongside a doctor and a pharmacist, who were staff of Sam Steel Clinic, a health facility founded by late Enemuo. But, consequent upon several tests ran on the duo, it was discovered that they were free from Ebola thus granted a clean bill of health.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, while presenting an update on the status of EVD in the country, disclosed that the eighth Ebola patients successfully managed in the Lagos isolation centre were discharged Tuesday.
Chukwu, who gave the number of cases successfully managed and discharged in the country as eight, pointed out that the last case to be discharged, (the eighth case) was the first secondary contact to be diagnosed, adding that the patient is a spouse of a primary contact of the index (first) case.
His words, “Total number of cases successfully managed and discharged is now eight. The last case to be discharged, the first secondary contact to be diagnosed and a spouse of a primary contact of the index case went home from the isolation ward in Lagos yesterday (Tuesday). The ninth survivor is the ECOWAS Commission official who jumped surveillance in Lagos and traveled to Port Harcourt where he infected the doctor who attended to him.”
The Minister is however yet to confirm the latest report about the first death recorded in the new Port Harcourt isolation centre.

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8th Ebola Survivor Released In Nigeria

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, on Wednesday confirmed the release of the 8th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) survivor in Nigeria, adding that 18 cases have been recorded so far.

The Minister, briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council meeting, said, “The total number of confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria is now 18.
“The 18th confirmed case is the sister of the late Port Harcourt doctor,” he said, adding that “the total number of cases successfully managed and discharged is now eight.”
Prof Chukwu also stated that the last case to be discharged, the first secondary contact to be diagnosed and a spouse of a primary contact of the index case, went home from the isolation ward in Lagos on Tuesday, confirming the 9th survivor as “the ECOWAS Commission official who jumped surveillance in Lagos and travelled to Port Harcourt”.
The Minister also confirmed that the total number of deaths from Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria was seven.
“One, the index case, occurred in a private hospital in Lagos, four in the Lagos isolation ward, one in the Port Harcourt isolation ward (the female patient who was on admission in the same hospital where the late Port Harcourt doctor was also admitted), while another one (1) was the doctor who was infected by the ECOWAS Commission official in Port Harcourt and who did not come under the care and management of the Incident Management Committee”, he said.
He added that two EVD patients were currently under treatment in the Lagos and Port Harcourt isolation wards.
“Total number of contacts currently under surveillance in Lagos is 41, while Port Harcourt has 255.
“Total number of contacts discharged in Lagos after they were observed for 21 days is 320”, he said.
The Minister also debunked rumours of EVD cases outside Lagos and Port Harcourt and debunked rumours that the body of the late Port Harcourt doctor was transported to Edo or Delta State, insisting that the body has been decontaminated and would be interred in Port Harcourt.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has partnered with the Rivers State Government to contain the spread of EVD in the state.
In a briefing with journalists at the Rivers State Ministry of Health in Port Harcourt, the WHO Country Representative, Mr Rui Vaz, said that WHO was bringing to bear in the fight against the disease, the expert training, assistance and logistical support to achieve containment and to ensure control in the Port Harcourt entry into the state.

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Researches Warn Ebola Virus Is ‘Mutating Rapidly’

 

Researchers claim the Ebola virus disease (EVD) is rapidly and continually mutating, making it harder to diagnose and treat.

A study of the initial patients diagnosed with the virus in Sierra Leone revealed almost 400 genetic modifications that could be detrimental not only to current treatments, but also to future vaccines that are in the works.
Researchers at the Broad Institute in Massachusetts and Harvard University claim the Ebola virus (transmission electron micrograph image shown) is mutating rapidly.
The findings show it is becoming more difficult to diagnose and treat.
Future vaccines could also be less effective as mutations continue.
The team of researchers analyzed more than 99 Ebola virus genomes.
Since the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease early this year in West Africa, at least 1,500 deaths have been recorded.
On August 24, a strain of the virus different from that in West Africa was detected on the Democratic Republic of Congo, posing more threat in handling the virus.
The World Health Organization have supported the use of untested drugs for the treatment of patients and had
On Thursday, the U.N. health agency said, said the Ebola outbreak in West Africa could infect over 20,000 people and spread to more countries, warning that an international effort costing almost half a billion dollars is needed to overcome the outbreak.
The WHO announced a $490 million strategic plan to contain the epidemic over the next nine months, saying it was based on a projection that the virus could spread to 10 further countries beyond the four major countries now affected – Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

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Austria Says Briton Did Not Die Of Ebola

 

A 48-year-old British woman who collapsed and died in Austria following a trip to Nigeria did not die from the Ebola Virus Disease.

Head of the regional health board in Austria, Franz Katzgraber, said tests had ruled out the Ebola virus but the cause of death remained unknown.
The woman had travelled from Nigeria to Germany where she then flew back to Austria to her home at Vomp, a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol.
An autopsy would be carried out to confirm the cause of death.
The W.H.O declared the West African Ebola outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ on August 8, triggering global alarm as countries stepped up precautions and testing.
The W.H.O said that the death toll had now risen to 1,229 from among the 2,240 reported cases in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
The latest figures include 84 additional deaths from 113 new cases reported between August 14 and 16.

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Ebola: NBA Educate Members On Personal Hygiene Ahead Of Conferenc

 

The outbreak of Ebola disease has prompted various organizations to join the campaign to promote the washing of hands and the need to pay attention to personal hygiene.

Ahead of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Conference, the President of the Association, Mr Okay Wali, educated lawyers on the need to ensure that proper hygiene should be  maintained during the conference as delegates prepare to attend the 54th conference of the Nigerian Bar Association.
The leadership of the association gave the advice in view of the outbreak of Ebola virus in the country. He assured members that adequate measures have been put in place to safeguard delegates.
The association has, however, urged the Nigerian Medical Association and the Federal Government to sheath their swords in view of the seriousness of the disease and the need for all hands to be on deck to fight the disease
Elsewhere, the Ministry of Water Resources has also launched the campaign for personal hygiene as a means to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.

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EBOLA: Jonathan Extols Medical Officers Infected With Virus

 

The Nigerian President, on Tuesday, paid tribute to medical officers who recently treated the late American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, and in the process got infected with the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease.

While sympathising with the families of those who died in the process, the President promised that his administration would ensure that those still alive get the best medical attention.
President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, made the remarks at an event held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja to mark the World Humanitarian Day.
The event was organised by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons and the National Emergency Management Agency.
“I want to use this occasion to salute the courage of these medical personnel and condole with the families of those that lost their lives. Government is doing everything possible to ensure that those still alive get the best medical attention, while praying to God to save their lives,” the President said.
The President was also saddened by the fact that many humanitarian workers had become targets of violent attacks despite the passion with which they carry out their duties.
He said that in the last 10 years, the number of attacks on humanitarian workers had tripled, according to the statistics available to him.
He regretted that while those in need desperately require help, ability to reach out to them was sadly increasingly challenging and at risk.

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Ebola: Ogun State Places Two Guineans, One Nigerian Under Surveillance

 
The Ogun State Government has said that two Guineans and one Nigerian are now on Ebola virus disease observation list at Imeko Afon border area of the state.

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, said that the three travellers, who were coming from guinea last Friday, were in the process of crossing over to Nigeria from one of the border entry points when they were accosted by the Port Health Services officials.
Dr. Soyinka said that they could not give satisfactory answers to questions asked on whether they had had contact with patients who had contacted the virus.
He added that the Port Health Services later handed them over to the officials of Imeko Afon Local Government.
“They were basically turned back, because they could not convince the authorities that they have not been in close contact with patients who have contacted the virus. They were told that unless they could convince the authorities, they would have to go back or if they were to come to Nigeria, we will have to observe them for a while.
“So they are still under observation, they are not quarantined,” Soyinka said.
Soyinka, however, advised the residents to avoid unnecessary physical contacts and public gathering and traveling to areas where the Ebola epidemic is prevalent among others.

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Ebola: Dr Adadevoh Deserves a Posthumous Award- Stella Damasus

Here is what Stella Damasus wrote in honour of the late Dr Ameyo Adadevoh,who died of the Ebola virus after coming in contact with Patrick Sawyer
Kind and beautiful Dr ameyo Adadevoh stood her ground to protect Nigeria. She refused to allow me sawyer leave first consultants hospital even when the Liberian ambassador pressured her to release him. Imagine what would have happened if she had let him go. Ebola would have been more widespread than what we are dealing with now. She died this (Tuesday) evening and I strongly believe she deserves a national posthumous award.”(Continue)
“Is she going to be a forgotten case like the fuel subsidy, the child marriage issue, or the chibok girls? Why do we easily move from one thing to the other without seeing these issues through till we get results?”
“The cross river state government should honor this woman because Dr sawyer was supposed to attend a seminar in Calabar. If she had not stopped him from going there, what do you think would have happened to the people of cross river?f we don’t celebrate people like this who sacrifice their lives to save others then please tell me why any of us should do the same. Give honor to whom honor is due”


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Ebola: Liberian President Imposes Night Time Curfew

The Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has imposed a night- time curfew and quarantined two affected neighbourhoods in a bid to stop the Ebola epidemic rampaging through West Africa.

The new quarantine areas include Monrovia’s West Point slum.
The President said that the commencement of the curfew would start on Wednesday, August 20, from 9:00 pm to 6:00am daily.
“Commencing on Wednesday, August 20, there will be a curfew from 9:00pm to 6:00am.
“All entertainment centres are to be closed. All video centres are to be closed at 6:00 pm,” she ordered.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,200 people have died of the virus in four West African countries.
In Nigeria, a top Lagos doctor, who attended to the Liberian-American man, Patrick Sawyer, that brought the Virus to Nigeria died of the virus on Tuesday. That brings the number of people who have died of Ebola in Nigeria to five, the health ministry said.
Colleagues said consultant Stella Ameyo Adadevoh was the first medical practitioner to order that a sick patient from Liberia be tested for Ebola when he was admitted in July.
The Chief Medical Director at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Akin Osibogun, said that late Stella Adadevoh was a hero who contained the late Sawyer from leaving the hospital when he was tested positive to the virus, helping to contain the spread of the disease.
“We owe her a lot. She managed the situation like a thorough professional that she was. She had helped Nigeria to contain the epidemic in her own way.”
Government authorities had said five people have recovered from the virus in Nigeria and have been discharged from hospital in Lagos after they were confirmed fit and without the virus. Two are still being treated.
The outbreak in West africa has claimed at least 1,200 lives and it had started affecting travellers in the region, as several airlines have stopped flights.

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Nigeria confirms 198 cases of Ebola in Lagos, Enugu states

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, on Wednesday disclosed that about 198 cases of Ebola virus infections have been recorded in the country.
Out of these, he said, 177. Aresaid to be in Lagos, while the remaining 21 are in Enugu.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, Maku hinted that the weekly parley centered mainly on efforts the country was making in containing the Ebola disease.
He noted that on the directive of the President, he and his health counterpart, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, briefed the council on the progress so far recorded since the outbreak of the Ebola.
The Minister stated that the first major step the ministry had taken was to quarantine all those who had primary contacts with Sawyer.
He said: “So far, as the ministry reported this morning, all those who had primary contacts with the subject had been quarantined which is the way the global community handles the disease and the secondary contacts have also been traced.
“There is a strong team in Lagos which has been set up by the emergency response centre that is tracing every contact that has been made with either the index case or with primary contacts. So far the number of people that have been traced is 198. Out of this number, 177 are in Lagos and they are being traced, some are in quarantine, some are being monitored by health specialists, with their movements being monitored and they are under directive from the Ministry of Health.
“So those in quarantine include people who have so far made contacts with index case or secondary. So 198 of them, 177 in Lagos and 21 persons in Enugu are also being watched. This is because one of the nurses that was involved in the treatment of the index case, unfortunately disobeyed medical instructions and somehow travelled to Enugu. We have no problems as all those who had been in contact with her, including her husband are also under quarantine and so the medical team had been able to trace all those who made contacts with her.
“Apart from those who made contacts with the late Sawyer, and the secondary contacts with those who handled his case, there has not been any known case in Nigeria that has the probability of contracting this virus. Nigeria has responded with the best international standards that can be imagined.”
He stressed that the disease had not reached the proportion of an epidemic, noting that so far, only 10 persons had been tested positive, including the late Sawyer. He said two citizens, one of them being the nurse who handled the Sawyer and the second one was the protocol officer, who welcomed him at the airport and helped in conveying him to hospital had died.
Maku said the country had moved in a way that it had not done before, “and globally the standards we have kept, the efforts we have made, the policies we have deployed, the measures we have taken surely should give our citizens and the world at large the confidence that Nigeria is doing everything possible to contain this virus.
“In addition to this, the Ministry of Health has also been in close touch with all the state governments. And the governors are receiving continuous briefings on the measures we have taken and what we should do at the state level.”

The Minister allayed the fear of the existence of the virus in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, noting that with the containment policy already put in place by thee Federal Government, Nigerians had no cause to be worried.

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BREAKING NEWS: Lagos confirms five new cases of Ebola

Lagos State Goverbment has disclosed the discovery of five new cases of Ebola Virus Disease in the State.
It said the patients were brought to the Yaba Mainland Hospital, Lagos, on Tuesday.
Health Commissioner, Jide Idris, told newsmen on Wednesday that two of those cases were from secondary contacts.
“Till date, we have recorded eight suspected cases, five of which came in yesterday, 12 confirmed.
“On the whole, five have died (including the index case). We are currently following up 213 contacts, and 62 have completed the two-day follow-up”.
Idris also paid tributes to late Dr. Stella Adadevoh, the Senior Consultant and Endocrinologist at First Consultant Medical Centre, Obalende, and other health workers who had died from Ebola virus.
“She, (Dr. Adadevoh) it was, who took the initiative to intimate the Ministry concerning the index case – Liberian-American (Mr. Patrick Sawyer) and substantially to her credit the moderate containment achieved is owed”, said Dr. Idris.
“She led the team who attended to the index case. Her doggedness and commitment to duty saw her personally reviewing the case even though the patient had earlier been seen by a doctor.
“The Ministry of Health commiserates with their families, co-workers, friends and loved ones on these irreparable losses which was on the line of duty”, he added.
Dr. Idris further disclosed that the government’s “vigorous” contact tracing is now shifting from primary to secondary contacts.
“The mode of spread remains mainly transmission from an infected person in an infective state and from an infected animal (bat, monkey, etc) to a person.
“This is a call for vigilance as human to human transmission is only achieved by physical contact with a person who is acutely and gravely ill (fever being a key sign) from Ebola virus through body fluids such as blood, urine, stool, saliva, breast milk, semen, and vomitus.
“Burial ceremonies, where mourners including family members have direct contact with patients who died of Ebola, have also played a role in the spread and direct contact with dead bodies should be minimized at this period, even as washing and burial/disposal of such bodies should be professionally handled with safety to personal health of handlers being a cardinal focus” he further stated.
The Commissioner urged Lagos residents not to panic as health personnel were in place to manage the current cases, while efforts were doubled to secure the services of more volunteers to cope with any contingency.
“Certain concerns had been raised regarding those already discharged. I wish to re-assure you that the discharge process was in line with WHO International Health Regulations and they are still being followed up.

“I encourage persons who have come in contact with infected persons to report early for treatment as such improves chances of survival”, he said.


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Leader of Sawyer’s medical team, Dr Ameyo Adadevohdies of Ebola

Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, the consultant physician, who
had contracted the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) from the
Liberian, Mr. Patrick Sawyer, is dead.
Thisday Newspaper reported Tuesday night that
sources close to Adadevoh, 58, said she succumbed to
the disease Tuesday evening.
Adadevoh, NewsGenesis recalls, led the medical team at
First Consultants Medical Centre, a Lagos-based
hospital, that treated Sawyer.
She was said to have fallen into a coma on Monday
and despite the valiant battle by the medical team to
save her, she could not survive the scourge of the
disease.
Her demise brings the total number of deaths from the
Ebola virus to five in Nigeria.

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Ebola: Oyo meat sellers protest low patronage

Scores of bush meat sellers on Monday trooped to Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s office at the Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan, complaining of low patronage which they attributed to the outbreak of the Ebola disease.
The women under the aegis of Bushmeat Sellers Association were of the complaint that since the announcement that the deadly disease could be caused by consumption of bush meat, spell had been cast on their sales.
Alhaja Risikat Odeyemi, Iyalode, who spoke on behalf of Bushmeat Sellers Association, Oyo State, expressed dismay that bush meat which had hitherto been taken as a special delicacy is now been seen as a poison.
According to her, “our meat do not have any Ebola virus. We don’t know why people should just be peddling rumour that would be injurious to other people. This is not good at all. They have spoilt our business without any good reason. What we heard is that the disease was contacted through the river. Why should they just start trying to be so unfair”.
They pointed out that before the announcement, a grass-cutter was being sold between N2,000 and N4,000 and the same thing goes for antelope and other animals. But, now they regretted that there are no sales again, adding that, “we normally stand by the roadside to invite prospective buyers. But now when we call them to buy bush meat, they always reply us saying, “Ebola”. It is the same meat we have been eating and nothing has happened to us.”
She gave the reason for their visit to the governor’s office as being to appeal to him to help them dispel the rumour that bush meat causes Ebola.

The Governor was yet tot attended to them as at press time.

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Ebola Virus: Discharged Patients Were Viral Negative – Dr. Olukayode

 
The Permanent Security, Primary Healthcare Board in Lagos State, Dr. Oguntimehin Olukayode, has said that five patients in the last days have had no symptoms of the Ebola virus.

He explained that a blood test was carried on the patients to ensure that they were viral negative before the process of discharging them was carried out.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Dr. Olukayode noted that there had been a lot of panic about Ebola and there had been a natural history about the disease.
“Out of every five people that really get infected one will survive whether you do anything or not, that is where the statics that says up to 90% die came from.
“But if you bring them in early and you do what is right for them, they usually survive,” he stressed.
Dr. Olukayode explained that the outbreaks occur more in the rural areas because of lack of awareness, adding that the 1st wave and 2nd wave have so much mortality.
“By the time people realise what is happening and they start doing what they have to do to make sure it does not spread, then the mortality rate will reduce.”
He extended his condolence to the families that have been lost through the virus, and criticised the media for misinforming the public on the the Ebola virus issue.
He also confirmed that the nurse that was infected with the virus  and was reported to have ran to Enugu had been discharged from the hospital. He explained that she (the nurse) had to go to Enugu for personal reasons but later complained of having a fever. “A team was sent to Enugu with two ambulances to bring her back.
“By the time she started having fever, she had six contacts which are being followed up” he added.
Dr. Olukayode insisted that “once a patient comes in early for treatments he/she stands a chance of surviving”.

CREDITS: CHANNELS TV
NEWS GENESIS (C) 2014 All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from News Genesis.

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