bola: 29 victims flee isolation centre in Liberia •3 Nigerians admitted to Indian hospital •5 show symptoms in Nasarawa •UK varsities put on alert

bola: 29 victims flee isolation centre in Liberia •3 Nigerians admitted to Indian hospital •5 show symptoms in Nasarawa •UK varsities put on alert



A quarantine centre for suspected Ebola patients in the capital of Liberia, Monrovia, has been attacked and looted by protesters, police authorities have said.

The incident happened in the densely populated West Point township on Saturday evening.

At least, 29 patients being monitored for signs of the illness fled the centre as a result of the invasion.

Officials said blood-stained bedding looted from the centre posed a serious infection risk.

According to the assistant health minister, Tolbert Nyenswah, the protesters were unhappy that patients were being brought in from other parts of the capital.

Other reports suggested the protesters believed Ebola was a hoax and wanted to force the quarantine centre to close.

Nyenswah said the centre was set up to observe suspected Ebola patients and then transferred them to a main treatment centre if they tested positive.

It was not known, however, if those at the centre were infected with the virus, though a report suggested they had tested positive.

An eyewitness, Rebecca Wesseh, said “the armed men broke down the doors and looted the place.”

Her position was reiterated by the head of Health Workers Association of Liberia, George Williams.

Meanwhile, Three Nigerians, who arrived in India on Saturday morning, have been admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for screening and treatment if required.

The Nigerians, aged 79, 37 and four, had fever and their tests were being done at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, an official release said.

In addition to this, a 32-year-old Indian from Durg in Chhattisgarh, who returned from Nigeria, had been admitted to a hospital in Bhilai.

His samples were also being tested at the NCDC, the release said.

Also, fears of an outbreak of the Ebola virus has been reported in Nasarawa State.

The state Commissioner for Health, Emmanuel Akabe, confirmed the development.

Akabe, however, said the state government was on top of the situation, though he did not state categorically if the outbreak was as a result of Ebola.

The outbreak was reported in Taka-Lafia, a community in Karshi, which borders the Federal Capital Territory.

A report at the press time said five people were taken to an undisclosed hospital, while series of tests were being carried out to determine the exact cause of their ailment.

In another development, universities in the United Kingdom (UK) have been put on alert over a potential outbreak of the Ebola virus when the new term starts in September.

Universities UK, the umbrella body that represents vice chancellors, has written to every university, giving detailed guidance on how to deal with an outbreak.

The decision was made to send out the guidance, because universities are expecting thousands of new students to arrive from West Africa.

While the three countries, which have seen the largest number of Ebola cases – Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone – have hardly any students enrolling at UK universities, Nigeria, which has had confirmed cases, is the fourth largest supplier of international students to UK universities.

A spokesman for Universities UK said “the issue is very much on universities’ radars. We circulated to universities the publicly available guidance on the topic.”

According to the guidance, those having any dealings with the patient must take careful hand hygiene precautions, wearing double gloves and a disposable visor.

Fashola assures Lagos residents
Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Sunday, assured residents of the state of the resolve of his administration to contain the spread of Ebola virus.

In a state-wide broadcast, Governor Fashola said the resolve was based on the courage so far shown by the first set of health workers at the state and federal levels, as well as the leadership of the state and federal ministries of Health, with the support of international partners.

He said the resolve was also reinforced by the encouraging reports from the isolation wards about those who are receiving treatment and those under surveillance, pointing out that while 61 persons who had been under observation in the last 21 days had been discharged, there was a report that a confirmed victim of the disease had fully recovered.

Debunking allegations that victims were being neglected or that a useful drug or vaccine was being rejected as untrue, Fashola said “what is true is that we should perhaps never have been in this situation, but we are now in it. What is true is that the Ebola virus did not break out from Nigeria. It was imported into Nigeria.”

The governor said the response of the state to the sudden challenge had become a lot better than when the news first broke out, while the capacity to cope with it was increasing daily, adding that although some lives had unfortunately been lost, the state was not yet at an epidemic stage of the disease and the government was determined to do everything not to get to that stag