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Tag: Ebola

  • Suspected Ebola victim transferred from OAU

    An unidentified female student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, suspected to be an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) patient was late yesterday taken to the University health centre.

    The lady is said to be a secondary contact of the disease in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

    The news caused commotion as students started leaving the campus.

    A source said after a clinical assessment by the Ebola Surveillance Preparedness and Response Committee of the University, the authorities contacted the State Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    The source said the “female suspected secondary Ebola contact has since been evacuated to the appropriate facility in Lagos for further investigations to confirm her status.”

    He said: “The national team and the WHO team on Ebola Control have promptly decontaminated the University Health Centre, despite the fact that the case is yet to be confirmed.

    “The case is not a confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease. The university has requested all members to remain calm as the situation is under control.”

  • WHO: Ebola death toll reaches 2,288

    The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed 2,288 people, with half of them dying in the last three weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

    It said that 47% of the deaths and 49% of the total 4,269 cases had come in the 21 days leading up to 6 September.

    The health agency warned that thousands more cases could occur in Liberia, which has had the most fatalities.

    The outbreak, which was first reported in Guinea in March this year, has also spread to Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

    In Nigeria, eight people have died out of 21 cases, while one case of Ebola has been confirmed in Senegal, the WHO said in its latest update.

    On Monday, the agency called on organisations combating the outbreak in Liberia to scale up efforts to control the outbreak “three-to-four fold”.

    Ebola spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.

    However, the WHO says conventional means of controlling the outbreak, which include avoiding close physical contact with those infected and wearing personal protective equipment, were not working well in Liberia.

    A fourth US aid worker has contracted the virus and is receiving treatment at Emory University hospital

    The reason for this remains unclear; however, experts say it could be linked to burial practices, which can include touching the body and eating a meal near it.

    There are also not enough beds to treat Ebola patients, particularly in the capital Monrovia, with many people told to go back home, where they may spread the virus.

    Sophie-Jane Madden, of aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres, told the BBC that health workers at the largest treatment centre in Monrovia were completely overwhelmed: “Our teams are every day turning away people who are desperately seeking healthcare.”

    Health agencies have warned of an exponential surge in the number of Ebola cases in Liberia

    Meanwhile, the US says it will help the African Union mobilise 100 African health workers to the region and contribute an additional $10m (£6.2m) in funds to deal with the outbreak.

    The announcement comes as a fourth US aid worker infected with the deadly virus was transported to a hospital in Atlanta for treatment.

    The identity of the aid worker has not yet been revealed.

    Two other aid workers who were treated at the same hospital have since recovered from an Ebola infection.

    Separately on Tuesday, the UN’s envoy in Liberia said at least 80 Liberian health workers had died from Ebola, according to the Associated Press.

    Karin Landgren described the outbreak as a “latter-day plague” that was growing exponentially. She added that health workers were operating without proper protective equipment, training or pay, in comments to the UN Security Council.

  • ‘Ebola deadlier than insurgency’

    A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Bisi Yusuf (Alimosho 01), has said the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is more dangerous than insurgency.

    Yusuf, who spoke at a health programme in his constituency, described Ebola as a monster that must be controlled.

    His words: “Alimosho is the largest constituency in the country. When I was campaigning I promised to touch the lives of my people. I want to represent the living not the dead.

    “Nothing is too much to satisfy my people. That is why I have committed a lot of resources to this programme. We want participants to take the message to the grassroots.”

    The guest speaker, Dr Jemilade Longe, said Ebola virus  kills nine of 10 patients.

    Longe said the virus is spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person.

    He said it could be contracted through objects that have been contaminated.

    The doctor also warned people against touching the bodies of dead victims.

  • Lagos warns against stigmatising Ebola survivors

    Lagos warns against stigmatising Ebola survivors

    •Govt takes up case of two discharged patients

    THE Lagos State Government warned yesterday against stigmatising Ebola survivors, saying it has taken up two of such cases.

    The duo, he said, had complained of stigmatisation at their workplaces and homes despite being given a clean bill of health

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris said the government directed the Ministry of Justice to take up their case because stigmatisation constitutes a violation of their fundamental human rights.

    He said the social problem being faced by discharged patients ranged from eviction from their accommodation and termination of employment.

    He said: “We’ve had cases of employers just terminating the employment of their staff who were just mere contacts, not even suspected cases. We believe this is unfair and we feel this impedes on their fundamental human rights. I wish to implore all Lagosians not to stigmatise all cases and contacts that have been given a clean bill of health and passionately urge all of us and all employers inclusive to facilitate their reintegration to the society.

    “Stigmatisation will further make contacts and suspects to go underground and continue to reverse the gains so far made in the containment and management of this outbreak. That’s why it is essential that people should stop the stigmatisation.”

    The commissioner urged anybody, whether a discharged patient or a contact followed up, who is stigmatised to petition the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney-General of Lagos State that will take that matter up on their behalf.

    He denied that a new case of Ebola has been recorded, saying the only case currently being treated was a contact brought in from Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    Idris reiterated the government’s commitment to contain the spread of Ebola, saying out of the 356 contacts traced, 345 cases were discharged and cleared while 19 persons are yet to conclude their follow up.

    “Those on surveillance are enjoined not to travel out of the state and should alert the rapid response on manifestation of symptoms or signs.

    “We’ve also had serious meeting with mortuary operators because this is another area that might facilitate the spread of the disease.

    “We have given them protocols they need to follow when they are dealing with suspected cases.  We also want to urge operators to adhere to the professional best practices when handling such corpses”.

    On the First Consultants Hospital, where the first case was recorded, he said the facility has been decontaminated and also certified to reopen for business.

  • Ebola survivors petition Lagos over stigmatization

    Lagos State Government has revealed that two survivors of the deadly Ebola Virus disease have complained about the stigmatization meted on them by the public despite being given a clean bill of health.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this while addressing journalists on Tuesday in Alausa, said the government has directed the Ministry of Justice to take up the case on behalf of the affected victims as such act, constitutes a violation of their fundamental human rights.

    Idris, who sounded a note of warning to residents to desist from such acts, said the social problems being faced by discharged cases ranges from eviction from their accommodation as well as termination of employment in their places of work.

    “We’ve had cases of employers just terminating the employment of their staff who were just mere contacts, not even suspected cases. We believe this is unfair and we feel this impedes on their fundamental human rights. I wish to implore all Lagosians once more not to stigmatize all cases and contacts that have been given a clean bill of health and passionately urge all of us and all employers inclusive to facilitate their reintegration into the society.

    “Stigmatization will further make contacts and suspects to go underground and continue to reverse the gains so far made in the containment and management of this outbreak. People feel stigmatized and they may not want to come out because of that, they come up with symptoms and they may not come out and jeopardize not only their lives, but their family members and other people they come in contact with. That’s why it is essential that people should stop that.”

    The commissioner urged anybody, whether a discharged patient or a contact followed up who feels stigmatized to petition the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General of Lagos State who will take the matter up on their behalf.

    He debunked rumour making round that a new case of Ebola was recorded in the state, saying the only case currently being treated was a contact that was brought in from Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

     

  • WHO predicts more Ebola cases in Liberia

    Liberia, the country worst hit by West Africa’s Ebola epidemic, should see thousands of new cases in coming weeks as the virus spreads exponentially, the World Health Organisation has said.

    The epidemic, the worst since the disease was discovered in 1976, has killed some 2,100 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria and has also spread to Senegal, Reuters reports.

    The WHO believes it will take six to nine months to contain and may infect up to 20,000 people.

    In Liberia, the disease has already killed 1,089 people – more than half of all deaths reported since March in this regional epidemic.

    “Transmission of the Ebola virus in Liberia is already intense and the number of new cases is increasing exponentially,” the United Nations’ agency said in a statement. “The number of new cases is moving far faster than the capacity to manage them in Ebola-specific treatment centres.”

    14 of Liberia’s 15 counties have reported confirmed cases. As soon as a new Ebola treatment centre is opened, it immediately overflows with patients.

    “In Monrovia, taxis filled with entire families, of whom some members are thought to be infected with the Ebola virus, crisscross the city, searching for a treatment bed. There are none,” it said.

    In Montserrado County, which includes the capital Monrovia and is home to more than one million people, a WHO investigative team estimated that 1,000 beds are urgently needed for Ebola patients, the statement said.

    Motorbike-taxis and regular taxis have become “a hot source” of Ebola

  • Ebola fully controlled, says minister

    Ebola fully controlled, says minister

    There is no new Ebola virus case in Nigeria, Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu said yesterday.

    But an 18-month-old has been quarantined in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the second city outside Lagos where the virus has been discovered.

    The minister spoke in Abuja. Rivers State Commissioner Dr. Sampson Parker spoke in Port Harcourt. Both of them were giving updates on the Ebola situation.

    They gave slightly different figures on the cases. The minister said 477 people were under surveillance in Rivers. The commissioner said 479 were.

    The minister said: “At the moment, only one person, the wife of the Port Harcourt doctor who died, is under treatment in the isolation ward in Lagos. She no longer has any symptoms and is undergoing series of tests preparatory to her discharge this week.”

    Chukwu said another patient was discharged on Sunday. The patient according to him, is the sister of Port Harcourt doctor Iyke Enemuo.

    “It has been 50 days since Ebola Virus Disease was imported into Nigeria through Lagos, and 38 days since it was introduced into Port Harcourt. So far, all the cases that have been confirmed in Nigeria are traceable to the index case, Mr. Sawyer,” the minister said, adding:

    “As of this morning, the total number of confirmed cases of EVD in Nigeria is 19, 15 in Lagos, four  in Port Harcourt.

    “The 19th case is the fiancé of one of the primary contacts of Mr. Sawyer’s who died of the disease. The test results were equivocal but further tests established the disease. He had only mild symptoms and he has since recovered from the illness. He was quarantined but because of the equivocal test result he was not placed on active treatment.

    “The total number of deaths from EVD in Nigeria stands at seven. Five of this died in Lagos, one  in a private hospital, the index case Mr. Sawyer, and the other four in the isolation ward in Lagos State.”

    “Two of the seven (7) died in Port Harcourt, the medical doctor who died in a private hospital and the contact, a patient in the hospital at the time the doctor was also on admission, who died in the isolation ward in Rivers State.

    The total number of patients who have been successfully managed and discharged stands at nine.

    “The latest is the sister of the Port Harcourt doctor who was discharged from the isolation ward in Rivers State yesterday (on Sunday). (It should be noted that the nine patients successfully managed and discharged are among the total number of 11 survivors of EVD in Nigeria.

    “At the moment, only one person, the wife of the Port Harcourt doctor, is on treatment in the isolation ward in Lagos. She no longer has any symptoms and is undergoing series of tests preparatory to her discharge from the isolation ward this week.

    “Regarding contacts currently under surveillance, Lagos has 27 contacts surveillance, as of now. A total of 339 contacts who were previously on surveillance have been discharged, having completed 21 days of observation.

    “Port Harcourt has 477 contacts under surveillance. It is a mixed group consisting of tertiary and quaternary contacts of Mr. Sawyer’s. Five  contacts have already been discharged from surveillance in Port Harcourt, having completed 21 days of observation.”

    The minister also said that ambulances, motorcycles and other medical equipment had been distributed to Port Health to effectively work at the borders and ports.

    Dispelling the rumours, Chukwu said: “In the last one week, a number of EVD rumours have been investigated and all the cases have turned out to be Ebola negative. Specifically, the rumours in Kebbi, Kaduna, Lagos, Lagos, Oyo, Ebonyi, Delta and Sokoto states as well as the Federal Capital Territory  have all been debunked.”

    He said the United States made the pledge of 30 body scanners in error. “What eventually the US donated were 30 handheld infra-red thermometers, which have been put to service,” the minister explained.

    Parker also said the late Enemuo’s sister, Chinyere who tested positive to the virus, had been discharged from the centre.

    He said the baby became symptomatic at the weekend and was moved to the treatment centre, but was yet to be tested.  The toddler was apparently among the number classified as high-risk.

    “We have successfully treated and discharged an Ebola patient from our treatment centre. She was positive and she has been treated successfully and now negative. She has been re-united with her family members.

    “A symptomatic contact was also discharged. He tested negative to the virus and was treated for something else and discharged.

    “Right now we have another admission, an 18 months old infant but yet to be tested.

    The commissioner expressed gratitude for the first victory and said about 479 contacts were under watch in the state, and 94 per cent of them are already being followed up; the remaining fraction would be covered before the end of yesterday.

    He believes that the spread of the virus would be controlled in the state as has been done in Lagos.

    “Agree that the disease has not yet got any cure, but it can be successfully managed, and we have done it, not just in Lagos, but now in Port Harcourt. Let us give God the glory and be confident in ourselves, and go about our normal duties,” Parker said, adding:

    “We all need to be on bended knees, this week and next, and then we will be coasting home. Ebola is a 21-day disease; most of the people under surveillance will be rounding up by within this period. So, if we are not flooded up this week and next, then we will be coasting home. All hands must be on deck to make sure that we’re prepared for any eventuality.

    “We have about 479 contacts now, about 94 per cent of them are being followed up; by today, we will cover all of them. Our points of entry are now well covered. Activities there have improved and going on very well and our workers fully on ground.”

    “On the announcement of resumption of schools on September 22 by the Federal Government, Rivers State is at the peak of our battle against Ebola outbreak; so, the state government will review the situation as it is before adopting that date.

    “We will sit down and review the whole situation and come up with a date. It may be the same date or a different date. Remember, also that the Federal Government has said the date already released is still subject to review.”

  • Abia educates residents on Ebola

    Abia educates residents on Ebola

    The Abia State Ministry of Health has educated the residents on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

    The awareness campaign was mainly on how the virus infects people, its symptoms and preventive measures.

    A the beginning of the campaign in Umuahia, the state capital, Health Commissioner Dr Okechukwu Ogar said high risk people include health workers, those who handle bodies and relatives of EVD victims.

    Ogar said everyone should be alert to the EVD because the disease is no respecter of persons.

    He said: “The EVD is a case that calls for concern. It is so because it has been affecting high-profile people. This is the reason people should be concerned. I want to tell you that our state is well prepared for it.

    “If the state could prevent the spread of EVD, then handling it will not be a problem. This is because once it is identified, the rapid response team will move in and evacuate the patient for treatment at the designated centres.”

    In a lecture, titled: What is Ebola? Dr Andy Ukaegbu said the virus is transmitted through close contact with blood, secretion, body organ, stool and contacts with bats, monkeys and antelopes.

     

  • Bayelsa screens dignitaries at event

    •We’ll meet our financial obligations, says Dickson

    Dignitaries invited for the 16th edition of the Bayelsa State Transparency Briefing were screened for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) yesterday.

    Political appointees, traditional rulers, captains of industry and journalists were scrutinised before they were allowed into the Banquet Hall in Yenagoa.

    Health workers were at the entrance of the venue with some electronic devices and hand sanitisers.

    Governor Seriake Dickson declared the state virus-free.

    “The public should not panic. There is no known case of Ebola up till now in Bayelsa,” he said.

    Dickson said the committee on Ebola, chaired by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ayibatonye Owei, has been making efforts to protect the state from Ebola.

    He, however, said the Ebola problem was not yet over, following its discovery in neighbouring Rivers State.

    The governor advised the people to remain vigilant and ensure a high level of hygiene.

    He appealed to them to report cases of Ebola symptoms to the government and to desist from seeking cure from religious and spiritual homes.

    “l call on all residents to continue to be vigilant. When you notice somebody with such symptoms, it is not the time to run to herbalists or prayer warriors.

    “It is not the time for you to start hiding. Come out for treatment when you have such symptoms.”

    Dickson said his administration would continue to meet its financial obligations, including payment of salaries, execution and completion of developmental projects despite the drop in the allocations from the Federation Account.

    The governor said the drop in allocation was not peculiar to the state alone.

    “All the projects by our administration will be completed; new ones will be embarked upon and this will not stop, until all the communities in the state feel the impact of the government.

    “Bayelsa State is on course, despite the nationwide drop in revenue allocation. The state is still meeting its salaries and contractual obligations.

    “In July and August, the shortfall is almost N2billion and it has been consistently so for the past two years.”

  • Ebola: Liberia ‘faces huge surge’

    Ebola is spreading exponentially in Liberia, with thousands of new cases expected in the next three weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

    Conventional methods to control the outbreak were “not having an adequate impact”, the UN’s health agency added.

    At least 2,100 people infected with Ebola have died so far in the West African states of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria this year.

    The WHO says 79 health workers have been killed by the virus.

    Organisations combating the outbreak needed to scale-up efforts “three-to-four fold”, the WHO said.

    It highlighted Liberia’s Montserrado county, where 1,000 beds were needed for infected Ebola patients but only 240 were available, leading to people being turned away from treatment centres.

    Transmission of the virus in Liberia was “already intense”, and taxis being used to transport infected patients appeared to be “a hot source of potential virus transmission”, the WHO said.

    “As soon as a new Ebola treatment facility is opened, it immediately fills to overflowing with patients, pointing to a large but previously invisible caseload,” it added.

    “When patients are turned away… they have no choice but to return to their communities and homes, where they inevitably infect others.”

    The Ebola disease spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.

     

    Conventional means of controlling the outbreak, which include avoiding close physical contact with those infected and wearing personal protective equipment, were not working well in Liberia, the WHO said.

     

    A street artist paints a mural informing people of the symptoms of Ebola in the Liberian capital Monrovia

    However, they appeared to be more effective in “areas of limited transmission” such as Nigeria and Senegal, it added.

    Local communities, especially those in rural areas, had been able to slow the transmission when they put in place their own protective measures, the WHO statement said.

    ‘Economic impact’

    Also on Monday, the African Union urged its member states to lift travel bans imposed to contain the virus, saying that the bans could hurt the region’s economy.

    “We must be careful not to introduce measures that may have more… social and economic impact than the disease itself,” commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in quotes carried by AFP news agency.

    The current outbreak has mortality rate of about 55%.

    Liberia has the highest number of reported cases and deaths, with more than 1,000 casualties so far.

    Hundreds have also died of the virus in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

    There have been at least eight deaths in Nigeria. One case has also been confirmed in Senegal but there have been no deaths so far.