.No Nigerian infected
.Nigerians should stop eating bats
.Domestic animals not carrier of the virus
By Chioma Obinna, Olasunkanmi Akoni, Lawani
Mikairu & Daniel Eteghe
The Lagos State Government disclosed, yesterday,
that the Nigerian Ambassador to Liberia, Chigozie
Obi Nnadozie, three staff of the Economic
Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and
55 others had contact with the victim of Ebola
Virus Disease, EVD, Patrick Sawyer, who died in
Lagos, last Thursday.
The Joint Federal and State Team in collaboration
with other health organisations on prevention of
Ebola outbreak in Lagos, has begun monitoring of
the 59 persons that had contact with the victim,
who died of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, in a
private hospital in Lagos, last week.
Addressing a joint press briefing, yesterday, on
the update of the Ebola virus disease, Director
National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC,
Professor Abdulsalim Nasidi, and Lagos State
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, explained
that out of the 59 persons that had contact with
the Sawyer in Lagos, 44 were hospital contacts
(38 healthcare workers and six laboratory staff)
and 15 airport contacts comprising three ECOWAS
staff – driver, liaison and protocol officer,
Nigerian Ambassador to Monrovia, two nursing
staff and five airport passenger handlers.
Appeal for calm
Idris, who appealed for calm, said right now, 20
contacts had been physically screened. “The
airline manifest has not been provided by the
airline at the time of this report and therefore, the
precise number of passenger contacts is yet to be
ascertained, especially as two flights were
involved Monrovia – Lome and Lome – Lagos.
There was no report of medical incident filed and
the General Declaration report of the flight.”
Idris who stated categorically that only one case
of imported Ebola and one death has been
recorded in Lagos, said: “No Nigerian is infected,
but all contacts are being actively followed. We
call on all Nigerians to be calm and not panic and
I do hereby assure them that both the state and
Federal governments are up in arms to ensure
that the virus did not escape and that no Nigeria
is infected with this virus,” he stressed.
Preliminary investigation
It was further disclosed that preliminary
laboratory investigation conducted by the NCDC
AI virology laboratory of the Lagos University
Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, and the Redeemers’
University’s World-Bank Funded African Centre of
Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases
(ACEGID) detected viral DNA and in both blood
and urine samples obtained from the patient were
positive for the Pan Filo virus analysis and Ebola
Zaire MGB virus strain – specific analysis.
Samples were also collected for further
confirmation at the WHO, collaborating laboratory
for Ebola in Dakar.
Meanwhile, an isolation ward has been designated
by the Lagos State Ministry of Health at the
Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba for case
management. The designation of three other
health facilities was said to be under way.
Idris explained that adhering strictly to WHO
guidelines, the body of the deceased patient was
decontaminated using 10 per cent sodium
hypochlorite and cremated, with the permission of
the government of Liberia. “A cremation report
has been prepared for dispatch to the family. The
vehicle that conveyed the remains was also fully
decontaminated.”
Nasidi, who allayed fears that EVD cannot be
acquired through mere coming into contact with
the EVD patient, disclosed that effort to send the
packaged sample of the decease to Dakar failed
as the courier company turned it down.
“We were disappointed that the courier rejected
the sample. That is why we immediately sought
the second opinion of World Health Organisation,
WHO, recommended laboratory which is
International Centre for Genomics. We are still
going to dispatch it to Dakar, most likely first
thing today but the WHO has accepted this
result.”
Nasidi explained further that even dead bodies of
EVD could be more dangerous in terms of
transmission.
Case management
To ensure appropriate case management and
infection prevention and control, he explained that
an isolation ward has been designated by the
Lagos State Ministry of Health at the Infectious
Disease Hospital, Yaba for case management,
adding that the designation of three other health
facilities is under way.
Further, he disclosed that a total of 100 Personal
Protective Equipment, PPEs, have been procured
by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC,
and Federal Ministry of Health, FMOH and
distributed to the private hospital and the state
Ministry of Health and WHO also donated 250
PPEs to the NCDC/FMOH.
On how the corpse was decomposed, the
Commissioner said the state adhered strictly to
WHO guidelines, the body of the deceased patient
was de-contaminated, using 10 per cent sodium
hypochlorite and cremated, with the permission of
the government of Liberia. “A cremation report
has been prepared for dispatch to the family. The
vehicle that conveyed the remains was also fully
decontaminated,” he added.
Recognising the importance of involving the
community early in the response, he stated that
already the various communities, traditional and
religious leaders have been alerted about the
disease and urged to report promptly to
healthcare workers of any suspected case.
Categories of EVD
Explaining categories of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD,
spread, he explained that “those who come in
direct contact of excretions of the dead are
primary high risk group; the second group are
those that come in contact with facilities used to
actually treat or handle these patients; the third
category are those who come in contact with
those who came in very closed contact with the
victim or the dead body. However, the fourth
category is those who are within the areas of
active transmission of the virus.
“It is also important we clarify a question of
whether any of the contacts has been tested -
the two laboratories are on standby for 24 hours
and we have the APIN and the laboratory
committee on the group screening one on one,
and taking temperature of the contacts twice a
day – morning and evening. We are following
WHO criteria and the special protocol that you
screen only the blood of only those contacts that
start developing symptoms. We are going to
identify few of them that we’d already known that
came directly in contact with the blood of the
deceased while managing him,” he added.
Warning communities that eat bats, he said this
is the time for them to desist from consuming it.
Similarly, he noted that some communities that
worship bats and keep them in their houses
should be very careful and stop the act.
Burials
On burial ceremonies of people who died from
EVD, he said it had been shown that 40 per cent
of the cases of Ebola virus spread was from the
mishandling of the burial of the dead bodies. He
warned that in case of any Ebola death, people
should not just go and bury but contact public
health officials.
Preventive tips
President of the Nigerian Academy of Science,
Professor Oyewale Tomori, who commended the
state government for its prompt response, harped
on the rules of hand washing and infection
control. “There is no need for panic if we follow
the rules of hand washing and infection control.
There is need for Nigerians to be at alert as it is
happening within the West African countries.
There is absolutely no need to panic, he insisted.
“Where it has spread, it is because people have
abandoned the rules of hand washing and
infection control; we shouldn’t have diseases like
Ebola if we maintain the rules of hand washing.
Where people have followed the rules of hand
washing, we must be at alert; we are not out of
the wood yet. We must continue to be at alert.
We need to be washing our hands but no reason
to panic.” He explained that domestic animals are
not carriers of Ebola virus and people who are
rearing domestic animals such as pig should not
be afraid.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor
on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina urged
residents and health officials in the state to
report any suspected case of Ebola virus
immediately. Adeshina appealed to residents to
reduce the risk of contracting the disease by
observing high standard of hygiene through
washing of hands often with soap and water.
“Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick and
ensure that objects used by the sick are
decontaminated and properly disposed because
fluids from an infected person are extremely
dangerous,” Adeshina urged residents.
NCAA suspends A_SKY Airline operations to
Nigeria
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority,
NCAA, yesterday, said it has suspended all A_SKY
Airline operations to Nigeria with immediate
effect. The airline flew the Liberian infected with
the Ebola virus into Lagos, which has created
panic and diverted world attention to Nigeria.
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