Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi
Chukwu
Following the death of an Ebola victim in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State during the week, at least 160 persons that made contact
with the victim have been identified and put under observation.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Sampson
Parker, stated at a news conference at the state’s secretariat in Port Harcourt
on Friday that the people had shown no signs of the Ebola disease.
He, however, said that the people were strictly
under watch.
The commissioner added that the baby of the widow
of the late health worker, who has since been quarantined, was in good
health.
While dispelling rumours that the state was not
working with the Federal Government in tackling the spread of the disease,
Parker said, “Rivers State now has a mobile testing unit for testing blood
samples for the virus. A national Ebola response team has been set up and headed
by the Minister of Health, Professor Oyenbuchi Chukwu.”
He also stated that all places identified to have
been visited by the late victim after he met with an ECOWAS diplomat, Oluibukun
Koye, were being decontaminated as part of measures to contain the spread of the
disease.
The late doctor’s residence, the Green Heart
hospital, where he was treated and the morgue where his body was kept, were part
of the places being decontaminated.
Meanwhile, there was panic in the University of
Calabar Teaching Hospital in Cross River State over a suspected Ebola case on
Friday.
The scare was intensified when a member of the
National Conference from the state, Mr. Orok Duke, took to his Facebook page to
spread the information.
Duke said an Ebola patient arrived from Port
Harcourt and had been quarantined.
But the Chief Medical Director of the hospital,
Dr. Thomas Agan, expressed shock over the situation while describing Duke’s
claim as unfounded.
In a text message sent to one of our
correspondents, he said, “I am shocked that someone of your status will post an
unfounded story on Facebook to misinform not only Nigerians but the world at
large! You know the implications are far reaching!
“Please be informed that there is no case of
Ebola both in UCTH and General Hospital, Calabar. I will advise you to retract
what you have posted immediately Sir!”
The state Commissioner for Health, Angela
Oyo-Ita, said it was not true that an Ebola patient was quarantined at UCTH.
She said, “It is absolutely false. Whoever is
bringing that up does not mean well for the state. A sick patient came in and
people ran away. I received a call and acted on it; so they got back to me and
said the person tested HIV positive. The person came from Port Harcourt.
“It is not true that people have been quarantined
in the hospital. The patient has been tested for HIV and not Ebola.”
The Ebola Virus Disease has killed five persons
in Nigeria, with five of the deaths occurring in Lagos State, where the first
case of the disease was recorded.
Since the outbreak of the disease in West Africa,
at least 1,500 deaths have been recorded.
PUNCH
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