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.
No comments:
Post a Comment