The Ebola outbreak in
Nigeria is almost over,
after an ordeal that began in July
when a sick man with US-Liberian
citizenship flew there from Liberia,
US health authorities said Tuesday.

The virus's incubation period is 21
days, and after two of these
periods have passed without any
new cases, officials can declare an
outbreak over.

Therefore, since there have been no
new cases since August 31, the West
African nation should be able to
announce a formal end to its
outbreak on October 12, a
spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
told AFP.

Meanwhile, the last three people
monitored due to potential
exposure to an Ebola patient will
end their 21 days of follow-up for
signs of symptoms later this week.

"The last three patient contacts
will exit their 21-day follow-up on
October 2 - strongly suggesting the
outbreak in Nigeria has been
contained," the CDC said in a
statement.

While Nigeria may be able to
declare victory over Ebola, its
outbreak was far smaller than in
nearby Guinea, Sierra Leone and
Liberia.

The death toll from the world's
worst Ebola epidemic has claimed
3,091 lives in five West African
countries out of 6,574 infected,
according to the World Health
Organization.

The outbreak in Nigeria began
July 20 when Patrick Sawyer, a
dual US-Liberian citizen, boarded a
plane to Lagos, a densely populated
city of 21 million people.

Ebola is spread through close
contact with the bodily fluids of
an infected person. The illness
causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever
and fatal bleeding in some cases.

"By the time it was recognized that
the patient carried the Ebola virus,
he had exposed 72 people on
commercial aircraft, at the airport,
and at the hospital," the CDC said.

Eight people died of Ebola in
Nigeria out of 20 confirmed cases,
according to the World Health
Organization.

The Nigerian government has said seven people died and 19 were infected.

The US agency credited Nigerian
authorities with taking quick
actions to isolate patients and set
up an incident management center
for a coordinated response.

"Although Nigeria isn't completely
out of the woods, their extensive
response to a single case of Ebola
shows that control is possible with
rapid, focused interventions," said
CDC Director Tom Frieden.

Speaking last week at the UN
General Assembly in New York,
Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan said - prematurely,
according to medical experts - that
his nation was free of Ebola.

"We can confidently say that
today Nigeria is Ebola free,"
Jonathan told the largest
diplomatic gathering in the world
on September 24. - AFP

source: http://mobile.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.php?c_id=2&objectid=11334725

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/09/30/Ebola-virus-contained-in-Nigeria-and-Senegal/7431412106897/

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ebola-senegal-nigeria-20140930-story.html#navtype=blogroll

That approach will not help us. With three nearby countries battling epidemics, the possibility of an infected person entering the country remains high.

There should be no letting down of guards!

NUFF SAID!!