Pregnant Woman Tests Positive To Ebola Virus In Lagos.
A pregnant woman who went for her usual check up at the same
hospital that Sawyer was admitted, has just been tested positive of the virus
because the same nurse who attended to him also attended to her. The nurse has
tested positive too.
Two nurses came in direct contact with Mr Sawyer and one of
them died this week.
The pregnant woman has been quarantined at the mainland
hospital where there is an isolation emergency centre for Ebola virus victims.
ECOWAS Commission Suspends All Meetings.
The ECOWAS Commission has suspended all meetings involving
member states of the commission due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus in some
West African countries.
The Vice President of ECOWAS Commission, Toga McIntosh,
announced this at a briefing organised by the Nigerian government for the
diplomatic corps on Ebola outbreak in Abuja on Thursday.
Mr. McIntosh said the management of the commission took the
decision as a precautionary measure to check the spread of the virus. He said
only meetings that were “very essential” would be convened by the commission
but he did not provide any specifics.
Mr. McIntosh said, “We know that all of our meetings bring
together, stakeholders from the member states.
“So, on August 4, when we had our management meeting we took
a decision to suspend all meetings that will bring us together from our various
countries.
“Let’s watch this spread and let’s see how this will go
down, and then thereafter, we can see how we can proceed. “Except if the
meeting is so essential and we are well guided we will approve.”
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls Patrick Sawyer, the
40-year-old Liberian-American, who died of the virus in Lagos, flew in from
Monrovia to attend an ECOWAS meeting in Calabar.
“ECOWAS is sad that the disease is spreading like wildfire
in our community,” he said, and condoled with families and West African
countries that have lost their citizens to the Ebola virus.
The ECOWAS official said all staff of the commission,
including the driver and protocol officers who made direct contact with Mr.
Sawyer before his death has been placed under surveillance. He said a request
had been made to the Lagos State government for the fumigation of the ECOWAS
office in the state and the vehicle used by Mr. Sawyer.
He said this was because the staff that made contact with
Sawyer returned to the office and they used the toilets and also interacted
with others. According to him, the Lagos office of ECOWAS has been temporarily
closed until after the fumigation exercise.
He added that the commission had also established a
taskforce to monitor all information on Ebola and also establish a hotline for
enquiries and emergencies.
Mr. McIntosh appealed to member states and the international
community to contribute to a special fund established by the regional bloc to
fight the disease.
The ECOWAS vice president thanked Nigeria for being one of
the first countries to donate to the fund after its launch in Accra during the
last ECOWAS Heads of State and government meeting. A breakdown of Nigeria’s
contribution shows that $1 million will go Guinea; $500,000 to Sierra Leone;
$500,000 to Liberia and $1 million to the ECOWAS Pool Fund for Ebola.
Mr. McIntosh said: “ECOWAS community has a challenge; that
challenge goes beyond the health sector. “It requires a collective approach to
put our commitment together and deal with this destructive element to
development.”
According to the World Health Organisation, the death toll
from the outbreak has risen to 932, with more than 1,711 total cases.
2 Dead, 20 Hospitalised Over High
Salt Consumption For Ebola Prevention
No fewer than two persons have been reported dead while 20
others hospitalized in different hospitals in Plateau State after consuming
large amounts of salt and bitter kola to prevent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
According to a source
in Shendam, two people were rushed to the hospital by their family members
after they collapsed in the morning as a result of large intake of salt on
Friday, August 8, 2014.
The victims were confirmed dead by the doctor after test
results came back positive for high blood pressure.
Meanwhile, other patients who showed symptoms such as ulcer,
and stooling profusely due to the high level of salt in their system are
presently receiving treatment at various hospitals in Jos.
NNPC shuts down clinic in Lagos over
suspected patient with Ebola virus
There was panic in Victoria Island today after a suspected
Ebola patient was found to be admitted at the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC clinic on Muri Okunola.
The patient was said to have first been admitted at First
Consultant Medical Centre around the same time Liberian Patrick Sawyer was
being treated at the clinic. Men suited in white safety clothing and an
ambulance were seen at the hospital around one 1pm today.
Though there's no definite confirmation that the patient is
infected with Ebola, the Management of NNPC Clinic this evening announced the
indefinite shutdown of the clinic.
The management said its a pre-emptive step and also said
they have reported the issue to the Federal Ministry of Health as well as
officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
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