Eight Persons Quarantined as Doctor Tests Positive for Ebola

               
In confirmation of the fears of the public that the American-Liberian, Mr. Patrick Sawyer, who succumbed to the infectious Ebola virus in Lagos less than two weeks ago, may have spread the dreaded disease before his death, the federal and Lagos State Governments yesterday confirmed the second case of Ebola in the country.

Speaking on the development, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, and Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, in separate news conferences in Abuja and Lagos, said the new case was as a result of the contact a female doctor from First Consultants Medical Centre, a Lagos-based hospital, had with Sawyer where the Liberian was treated before his death.

This is the first recorded case where a Nigerian has been confirmed to have contracted the Ebola virus.
However, when contacted, a reliable source in First Consultants informed THISDAY that the hospital was still awaiting the laboratory results on the doctor as well as seven others who came in contact with Sawyer, but have been quarantined.

A senior consultant with the hospital said: “We cannot at this time verify that the doctor has tested positive as we are still awaiting the preliminary laboratory results from LUTH (Lagos University Teaching Hospital) as well as confirmatory results from the WHO (World Health Organisation) virology lab in Senegal.

“Until these arrive, we cannot confirm that the doctor or others have contracted Ebola. I do not know where the government got its own results or information from but we are still calling the lab in Lagos for preliminary results.”
He said it took First Consultants to blow the whistle on the presence of the epidemic in Nigeria, adding, “Everyone now has to be careful.”

The consultant also lamented the fact that Nigeria lacked a top-notch diagnostic laboratory where diseases like Ebola could be tested, stating: “This says a lot about Nigeria that we had to move our blood samples to Senegal. We ought to focus on making resources available to undertake proper diagnosis of diseases.”

Although, for professional reasons, he declined to disclose the identity of the medical personnel from his hospital who had been quarantined or where they were being kept in an isolation ward, other sources revealed that in addition to the female doctor, others who had been isolated included two nurses, the cleaners who washed the beddings used by Sawyer and mortuary attendants who handled his corpse.

Of the eight, the sources said the doctor and nurses were showing symptoms of the virus.
However, during the briefing in Abuja, the Minister of Health said: “When we met last week, I told you that we were still monitoring some of the healthcare workers and passengers who came in contact with the American-Liberian who brought Ebola to Nigeria. There were others who attended to him, some have developed symptoms of Ebola.

“As of today, we now have a case; this is the second case of the Ebola virus in Nigeria. This is the doctor who attended to the Ebola patient in Nigeria.”

Continuing, Chukwu said three others were under watch, adding: “At the end of today (yesterday), we will know the outcome. Eight of those who had contact with Mr. Sawyer have been quarantined, while 70 of those who had contact with the patient are under surveillance.”

The minister explained that all of the eight persons had been quarantined in Lagos where the state government had provided isolation wards.

“Beyond Lagos State, the federal government is working with each state to strengthen isolation wards, and on emergency coordination of the health workforce on Ebola around the borders,” Chukwu added.
He said places like Idi Iroko and Seme borders had been given new directives and equipment to screen persons entering the country without having contact with such persons.

Chukwu further pointed out that the ban imposed on airlines to stop them from conveying corpses from Ebola-endemic countries for burial in Nigeria was still in force. The affected countries are Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Taking time to clear the air on cases where corpses were brought in from Liberia, Chukwu said: “In the case of Imo State, we have carried out the investigation and found out that there was a dead certificate and it was not an Ebola case, so we have asked the Commissioner for Health in Imo State to go ahead with the burial of the person. But for Anambra State and Akwa Ibom State, investigations are still ongoing; they are still under watch.”

The minister also debunked claims making the rounds, especially on social media, that bitter kola – an African fruit with medicinal qualities – can cure and as well prevent the Ebola virus, stating, “There is no scientific evidence that the use of bitter kola cures or prevents Ebola.

“Though the research on bitter kola was not concluded, no progress can be made without research. For now, there is no scientifically proven vaccine or drug for the treatment of Ebola.”

Panel on Ebola Inaugurated

But in a bid to check the spread of the disease, the minister further revealed that the federal government had inaugurated the Treatment Research Group Committee on Ebola Virus Disease.
While inaugurating the committee, Chukwu observed that Nigeria must expedite action in the area of research as a strategic way of taming the spread of the virus.

The committee has the Director General of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Prof. Karniyus Gamaniel, and the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Prof. Innocent Ujah, as co-chairmen.

Other members include the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu; Prof. Andullraman Nasidi of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); Dr. Sani Gwarzo of the Port Health Service; Director of Public Health,  Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Bridget Okoeguela; and Director of Health Planning and Research,  Mrs. Asa Ogu.

The terms of reference of the committee include the coordination of research on the treatment and prevention of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD); receive and verify claims of Ebola disease; collate all related research findings around the world on Ebola; and advise government as may be appropriate on such matter.

Lagos Confirms Female Doctor Tests Positive

Also, confirming the presence of the virus in Nigeria, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health who spoke to reporters alongside the Project Director of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Prof. Nasidi, among others, said one person “has tested positive out of the eight persons under observation”.

According to him, the patients are all persons who had personal contact with Sawyer.
Idris added that the patients would remain in isolation until they were deemed free of the deadly virus that had killed more than 800 persons in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

However, the commissioner declined to reveal the identity of the female doctor who had tested positive to the virus, stating that it was against the ethics of the profession to disclose a patient's personal information.
In his remarks, Nasidi, who is the head of federal delegation on Ebola in Lagos, debunked speculations that the patient was dead, stressing, “It is not true that the patient is dead. She is alive. But we have experts on ground. She is currently being treated."

Even though Idris declined to give the patient's identity, Nasidi confirmed that the patient “is female and a medical doctor, who had direct contact with the Ebola victim”.
He said: “We are taking precaution at different levels to contain the spread of the virus. All citizens need to give support in order to stop the spread of the Ebola virus.”