Nigerian Doctor contracts Ebola Virus Disease

The Federal Government has confirmed the first case of Ebola Virus Disease in a Nigerian medical doctor, who was among the people that had the first contact with Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the deceased Liberian and first confirmed Ebola victim in the country.

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu who was inaugurating the Treatment Research Group Committee on Ebola Virus Disease, disclosed:

“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 in 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 Ebola virus in Nigeria. This is the doctor who attended to the Ebola patient in the Lagos hospital.”

Further, he said:  “Three others are under watch; 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 on surveillance.

”All of these persons are being quarantined in Lagos, where the Lagos State Government has provided isolation wards.”

”In the case of Imo State, we have carried out the investigation and found out that there is a death certificate and it was not an Ebola case, so we have asked the Commissioner for Health in Imo State to go on with the burial of the person.

But for Anambra State and Akwa Ibom states, investigation is still going on. They are still under watch,” he said.