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.


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