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Tag: Ebola

  • Guinea records three new Ebola cases

    Guinea records three new Ebola cases

    Three more people in Guinea have been infected with the Ebola virus, a senior health official said on Wednesday, further dampening hopes of an imminent end to the world’s worst recorded outbreak of the disease.

    The three were infected in Forecariah in western Guinea from the family of a woman who died of Ebola and whose body was handled without appropriate protection, said Fode Tass Sylla, spokesman for the national centre for the fight against Ebola.

    “In all, nine sick people are being treated at our centres throughout the country and most are connected to the dead woman,” he told Reuters, adding that authorities had known of the three fresh cases since Saturday.

    The epidemic began when a two-year-old boy fell ill in a remote Guinean village on December 26, 2013, and now risks dragging into a third year and into 2016.

    It has killed around 11,300 people out of around 28,500 known cases in Guinea and neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to World Health Organization figures.

    Liberia was declared free of Ebola transmission on September 3 after 42 days with no new cases, while Sierra Leone will be declared Ebola free on November 7 if there is no new transmission, the WHO said.

    The 42-day countdown only starts once the last patient tests negative a second time, normally after a 48-hour gap following their first negative test.

  • Ebola: Expert tasks Nigerians on hygiene

    Ebola: Expert tasks Nigerians on hygiene

    Dr Chinwe Abama, the General Manager, Medical Department, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has advised Nigerians to embrace hygiene in order to avoid the Ebola virus.

    Abama told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that the recent apprehension generated over the assumed resurgence of Ebola in Cross River State had given cause to the public to be at alert

    “Sanitary hygiene, we need hand washing, very critical, your sanitation very critical.

    “Make sure that you eat the right things, wash your vegetables, wash your food and cook the food properly, your meat especially.

    “And if you have any kind of infections like that, be it fever or some kind of headache, you go and report to the doctor.

    “You don’t go back home and start using agbo (herbs) or self medicating; you must go to the hospital and be treated.

    “The bush animals are reservoirs of this infection of Ebola virus.

    “It is important, however, if people have to eat bush meat, they must wash and cook it properly; roast properly.

    “Not the one that you cut and see blood, no, but the one that is roasted and cooked very well before it is eaten.’’

     

  • Nigeria to set up Ebola survivor clinic

    Nigeria to set up Ebola survivor clinic

    The Federal Government has concluded arrangement to establish Ebola survivor clinic in the country.

    The initiative, according to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, is to address Ebola relapse in survivors.

    Briefing journalists at an event marking the first anniversary of Nigeria’s declaration as Ebola free nation, the permanent secretary said,”the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will soon establish a survivor clinic in collaboration with our tertiary health institutions to address Ebola relapse in survivors.”

    He revealed that the ministry is continuing active surveillance with Port Health Services at the various points of entry in the country.

    Awute said the 11 Ebola survivors were properly integrated back into the society with very minimal risk of stigmatization.

    He disclosed that Nigeria volunteers to Liberia and Sierra Leone will serve as the country’s reservoir foot soldiers.

     

  • UCTH lauds FG intervention in Ebola scare

    The management of University of Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Calabar, has commended the Federal Government over its prompt intervention in the hospital Ebola scare.

    In a statement made available to journalists in Calabar, the Chief Medical Director of UCTH, Dr. Thomas Agan, said the attention given to the hospital during the period is a demonstration of importance President Muhammdu Buhari’s administration pays to public health.

    The statement reads, “We are delighted at the prompt attention paid the hospital on getting wind of the news and the immediate dispatch of team of experts, an indication of importance the Presidency pays to public health-care delivery.

    “Besides, the maturity with which the Ministry of health collaborated effectively and harmoniously with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and WHO in handling the alleged reported case and the subsequent decontamination of Accident and Emergency unit of the hospital deserve commendation.”

    He said the public enlightenment on the issue by relevant agencies of government assuaged the international community that Nigeria is Ebola free.

  • Ebola: Laboratory test of suspected patient proves negative, says FG

    Ebola: Laboratory test of suspected patient proves negative, says FG

    • Suspects poisoning, intoxication

    The cause of the recent death of the University of Calabar undergraduate in mysterious circumstances at the UNICAL Teaching Hospital remains unknown, it was learnt yesterday.

    There were fears that he may have died of Ebola.

    However, latest results from further laboratory test carried out on his remains  were negative  for all known pathogenic viruses, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, said in a statement.

    This, according to him, has thrown up the possibility of poisoning or intoxication with a chemical.

    Awute said that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will continue with investigation in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    Results of the first round of laboratory tests proved negative for Ebola Virus and Lassa Fever virus.

    The additional tests were carried out at the Redeemers University African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases at Ede, Osun State.

    The permanent secretary said:  “Further tests were conducted to establish any bacterial or fungal infection involvement and this also proved negative.

    “The possibility of poisoning or intoxication with a chemical cannot be ruled out at this stage.

    “The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will continue with this investigation in collaboration with National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    “On the basis of these finding Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit where the patient was admitted has been decontaminated and will remain closed throughout this weekend.”

  • Two new Ebola cases discovered in Guinea

    Two new Ebola cases discovered in Guinea

    Two people have fallen ill with Ebola in Guinea after two weeks with no new confirmed cases of the disease in West Africa, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

    WHO spokeswoman, Margaret Harris, told a United Nations briefing in Geneva that one case was in Forecariah, western Guinea, and appeared to be linked to a previously known chain of infection, while the other was in the capital Conakry.

    Ebola transmission is considered to be over once a locality has gone 42 days without a new case of the disease. The other two countries that were worst hit by the epidemic were Liberia, which was declared transmission free on September 3, and Sierra Leone, which is counting down another 22 days until it is clear, Reuters reported.

    The worst outbreak on record has been largely stopped in its tracks after killing more than 11,000 people.

    But the WHO has repeatedly warned against prematurely assuming the outbreak is over because the virus could pop up again until the 42 days are over.

    “On the bumpy road we keep talking about, the high risk of recurrence, once again we are navigating a few bumps,” Harris said. “Of course we didn’t want it, but we did expect it. Guinea hadn’t got to the stage where we were looking at 42 days.”

    Even after that period, Ebola may lurk in the population. This month a study showed the semen of male survivors can harbour the virus for nine months, while a British nurse has fallen critically ill again 10 months after recovering from Ebola.

  • Cross River case not Ebola — WHO, Fed Govt

    Cross River case not Ebola — WHO, Fed Govt

    The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday  insisted that the man who died at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) this week had no Ebola.

    Ten  people were quarantined as a precaution.

    Cory Couillard, from the WHO African Region, told AFP in an email that the “laboratory investigation for EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) and Lassa fever turned out negative”.

    The Federal Government also confirmed yesterday that the  results of the laboratory tests on the deceased were negative.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, told reporters in Abuja that the  result which came in yesterday morning was negative for  Ebola Virus and Lassa Fever virus.

    He, however, said that  further tests were  ongoing to confirm the actual cause of the patient’s death.

    The result is expected to be made public on Monday.

    The Permanent Secretary  reassured Nigerians that the country is  totally free of the virus and  urged the general public to continue to maintain good hygienic behaviour.

    Awute  said that  precautionary measures,including  decontamination of the hospitals,have been put in place by government,  while members of  the medical team that attended to the deceased  have been placed under observation.

    He said the Ebola  scare “has once again demonstrated that the fight against Ebola must be a perfect team work based on effective collaboration between federal, state governments, partners and the private sector.”

    The patient died on Wednesday at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.

    He was reported locally as being a suspected Ebola case, although his symptoms were not specified and his travel history was unknown, it added.

    Nigeria registered its first case of Ebola in July 2014, when a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer,  died in Lagos last year  sparking fears of its spread outside Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

    Nineteen people were infected in total, of whom seven died. Nigeria was praised for its response in containing the outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever.

    On Wednesday, the WHO said there had been no new confirmed cases of Ebola in the week to October 4 — the first full week without fresh cases of the disease since March 2014.

    A total 11,312 of the 28,457 people infected with the virus since December 2013 have died, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

  • FG dispels Ebola outbreak in Calabar

    FG dispels Ebola outbreak in Calabar

    The Federal Government on Friday dispelled speculation of a suspected fresh case Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Calabar, Cross River, and urged Nigerians to observe good hygiene behaviour.

    Mr Linus Awute, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, allayed the public fear of the rumour while briefing newsmen in Abuja.

    Awute said the rumours have been making round since Wednesday Oct. 7, until government agencies concluded investigation of the case.

    He said the ministry monitored the latest speculation and found out that it was a case of the death of a 21-year-old student of the University of Calabar.

    He said the deceased patient was brought into the causality ward of University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) by the mother and other family members on Oct. 7.

    Awute said the deceased was admitted at about one o’clock in the morning and was investigated clinically and tested in the laboratory to determine his ailment.

    “He was admitted with bleeding, diarrhoea, vomiting, skin rashes and mouth lesions. His temperature on admission was 37 degrees centigrade and vital signs were stable.

    “The parents said that the patient had never travelled out of Calabar, on the basis of signs and symptoms; a tentative diagnosis of viral Hemorrhagic fever to rule out Lassa fever was made.

    “Some of his family members had a history of chicken pox a week to his falling ill,’’ the permanent secretary said.

    Awute said that the deceased was treated with antipyretics and antibiotics during the course of his illness and he also received intravenous fluids.

    “Sadly, at exactly 8.15 p.m., seven hours post-admission, the patient passed on,’’ Awute said.

    According to him, 15 health workers and eight patients who had direct or indirect contact with the deceased patient were quarantined.

    He added that other hospital workers were provided with thermometers to monitor their temperature twice daily.

    The permanent secretary said that blood sample collected from the patient was taken to Irrua Lassa Fever Specialist Hospital for laboratory confirmation of the cause of the disease.

    “Tests were run on the blood sample throughout the night and this morning the result confirmed that the deceased was negative for both Ebola and Lassa fever viral diseases.

    “Additional tests using next generation sequencing methods are currently being carried out at the Redeemers University African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Ede, Osun state.

    “This is to confirm which virus must have caused the infection and death and the result is expected on Monday Oct. 12, 2015,’’ he said.

    Awute urged Nigerians to collaborate with the federal ministry of health and the entire healthcare teams to report any suspected case to avoid reintroduction of Ebola into the country.

    He said this incidence has once again demonstrated that the fight against Ebola must be a perfect team work based on effective collaboration between government and other stakeholders.

     

  • ‘Test on suspected Ebola patient negative’

    The laboratory test carried out on the suspected Ebola patient has proved negative.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mr. Linus Awute, confirmed the development at a press briefing in Abuja, Friday.

    He said the result which came in Friday morning was negative for both Ebola and Lassa Fever.

    He, however, said further tests are ongoing to know what caused the infection and death of the University of Calabar student.

    Awute added that the outcome of the tests will be announced on Monday.

    He said: “Tests on the blood sample were run throughout the night and at 8:00am this morning, results confirmed that the deceased was negative for both the Ebola Virus and Lassa Fever Virus. Additional tests using next generation sequencing methods are currently being carried out at the Redeemers University African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Ede, Osun State, to confirm which virus must have caused the infection and death. The result of these tests is expected on Monday, October 12.

    “The FMOH hereby confirms that there is no Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria, and thus Nigeria remains Ebola free. The general public is however advised to continue to observe good hygienic behavior that includes hand washing, hand sanitization and general environmental cleanliness.”

     

  • Ebola: 10 quarantined in Calabar

    Ebola: 10 quarantined in Calabar

    At least 10 people have been quarantined after coming into contact with a patient with Ebola-like symptoms in Calabar, Cross River, officials said on Thursday, a year after the country was declared free of the deadly disease.

    A patient came to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital on Wednesday with symptoms consistent with the viral hemorrhagic fever, staff there said.

    Local media reported the patient had since died, though there was no official confirmation.

    “We have sent blood samples for testing and quarantined identified contacts,” the hospital’s chief medical director, Queeneth Kalu, told Reuters.

    The National Emergency Management Agency said 10 people were in quarantine.

    Any confirmed case would cause major concern across the region, where experts had hoped they were finally emerging from the worst epidemic of the disease on record.

    The three West African countries at the heart of the epidemic – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – had just recorded their first week with no new cases since the outbreak was declared in March 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

    The Ebola virus arrived in Nigeria in July last year when travelling Liberian businessman, Patrick Sawyer, collapsed in Lagos airport. But the country was declared Ebola free in October last year.