Nigeria has recorded another Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) death as government battles to contain the spread of the deadly virus that was imported into the country by a Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer on July 20.
The latest victim is a female patient who was on admission in the same hospital with the Port Harcourt Doctor, Iyke Enemuo.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja, Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said “the total number of deaths from Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria is now seven (7). One (1), the index case, occurred in a private hospital in Lagos, four (4) in the Lagos isolation ward, one (1) in the Port Harcourt isolation ward (the female patient who was on admission in the same hospital where the late Port Harcourt doctor was also admitted), while another one (1) was the doctor who was infected by the ECOWAS Commission official in Port Harcourt and who did not come under the care and management of the Incident Management Committee.”
According to the Minister’s aide on media, Dan Nwomeh, the last case to be discharged, the minister stated in a press statement issued by his media aide, Mr Dan Nwomeh “is the first secondary contact to be diagnosed and a spouse of a primary contact of the index case.”
He stated she went home from the isolation ward in Lagos Tuesday. (The 9th survivor is the ECOWAS Commission official who jumped surveillance in Lagos and travelled to Port Harcourt where he infected the doctor who attended to him).”
Also, confirmed cases in the country are now eighteen according to the minister’s update.
The eighteenth confirmed case he stated is the sister of the late Port Harcourt doctor.
Total number of cases successfully managed and discharged is now eight. While total number of EVD patients currently under treatment is two (2), one in the Lagos isolation ward and another one (1) in the Port Harcourt isolation ward.
Total number of contacts currently under surveillance in Lagos is forty one (41), while Port Harcourt has two hundred and fifty five (255) and the Total number of contacts discharged in Lagos after they were observed for 21 days is 320.
The minister also debunked rumours of EVD cases outside Lagos and Port Harcourt. These include the three (3) reported cases in the Federal Capital Territory and one case in Calabar. The minister further debunked the story that the body of the late Port Harcourt doctor was transported to Edo or Delta State, saying the body has been decontaminated and will be interred in Port Harcourt.
On the the rumoured case in Zaria, the minister stated that the blood sample has been sent for Ebola testing.