10 Ebola cases now in Nigeria, 177 under surveillance •Nigeria donates $3.5m to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea •Jonathan summons govs, health commissioners

10 Ebola cases now in Nigeria, 177 under surveillance •Nigeria donates $3.5m to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea •Jonathan summons govs, health commissioners

NIGERIA has now confirmed 10 cases of Ebola virus disease, with 177 persons under surveillance, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed in Abuja, on Monday.


He made the disclosure while updating newsmen on the efforts by the government to contain the disease.

“It has been 22 days since Ebola first landed in Nigeria. As of today, 177 primary and secondary contacts of the index case have been placed under surveillance or isolation.

“The 10th case actually was one of the nurses who also had contact with our index case; when she got ill, we brought her into isolation, we just tested her at the weekend and she tested positive.

“That is what made it 10 cases since the last conference on Friday. Between Friday and today, we have one additional case that brings it to 10.

“Nine people developed Ebola, bringing the total number of cases in Nigeria to 10; of these 10, two have died -- the Liberian-American and the Nigerian nurse - while eight are alive and currently on treatment,” he said.

Chukwu disclosed that Nigeria was the first and only African country to have donated $3.5 million for humanitarian aid and capacity building to the three Ebola affected countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, as well as the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) and the ECOWAS Ebola Fund.

He said the donation was made during the summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Accra, Ghana, on July 9.

According to him, at the sub regional level, the EVD was discussed as a substantive agenda during the summit.

The minister added that the Liberian government had expressed sympathies and regrets that Mr Patrick Sawyer even embarked on his tragic journey to Nigeria, a development that had put stress on the Nigerian health system.

He stressed that Nigeria essentially remained an Ebola virus free country until the incident of importation and unfortunate contamination by the late Sawyer.

He said the country would continue to work with all stakeholders, local and international partners, to intensify efforts to contain and treat the existing cases.

The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to continue to discharge its responsibilities in confronting and stopping the outbreak of Ebola.

On the strike by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), he said government had consistently appealed to the association to call off the strike.

“We are still discussing with the NMA, we are still pleading with the association to ask its members to return to work, while we are still doing that, we have not gone to bed, we are not sleeping.

“There are doctors who are not part of the strike and they have been taking part in the management of these patients, we are still recruiting more volunteers, because we need more people to come into the fight against Ebola.

“Not only doctors, because it includes health workers, nurses, environmental officers, sanitary officers, laboratory scientists, pharmacists and the likes,” he said.

The minister urged the public to adhere to the self-precautionary measures of hand washing and avoiding unnecessary contact to control the spread of the disease.

Jonathan summons govs, health commissioners
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has summoned all the 36 state governors and their commissioners for health to an urgent meeting, in continuation of the Federal Government’s efforts aimed at containing the spread of Ebola virus.

The meeting will hold at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, tomorrow.

Jonathan disclosed this during a conference organised by the Interfaith Initiative For Peace in Abuja while responding to some children who had, during their presentation, asked the government and religious leaders to help them end insurgency and the spread of the virus.

He promised that his administration would do everything possible to contain the emergency health situation in the country.

“As a government, we promise we will do everything possible to contain Ebola. We are doing our best, on Wednesday, I am going to meet with all the governors of the states, they will come with their commissioners for health,” he said.

The president said, based on the information available to him that about 60 per cent of the cases of the virus were transmitted during burials, there was the need for Nigerians to be mindful of burial ceremonies.

He said available reports showed that the American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who imported the virus to Nigeria, contacted it during the burial of his sister which he attended.

5 Nigerian victims responding to treatment —Fashola
LAGOS State governor, Babatunde Fashola, has said five out of the 10 Nigerians infected with the Ebola virus are responding to treatment at the Isolation Unit, Yaba, Lagos.

The governor disclosed this at a meeting with traditional rulers and religious leaders on Monday, held at the State House, Ikeja.

Fashola said out of the number, eight had tested positive, while results of two were still being awaited.

According to him, the disease was not a death sentence, provided the right things were done, noting that experiences had shown that the human body could fight back, through constant hydration, intravenous infusion and regular administration of antibiotics.

The governor enjoined the traditional rulers to properly educate their subjects, as he called on religious leaders not to spiritualise the outbreak of the disease.