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.

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