Lagos Commissioner for Health speaks on Ebola, says situation 'extremely dire'
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris says Ebola situation in Lagos is 'extremely dire.'
At a
press briefing held in Lagos this afternoon, the Commissioner said
the Nigerian nurse who died of the Ebola virus died at exactly 2.06pm
yesterday in Lagos. He said Health officials have begun 'secondary
contact tracing", that is, tracking down people who came in contact with
people who had direct contact with the late Liberian, Patrick Sawyer,
the first case of Ebola virus in Lagos.
He said as at yesterday August 5th, 27 people who had
secondary contacts with the Liberian man have been identified and are
now been monitored. He said 6 cases of Ebola have been confirmed
in Lagos, 2 of which are in critical condition. He said the infected
doctor who was confirmed on Monday August 4th to have contracted the
virus is still alive. Continue...
Dr Idris appealed to religious bodies to temporarily
put on hold all forms of activities that would require a large number of
people to come together. As regards the ongoing Redeemed Christian
Church of God National Convention at the redemption camp, Dr Idris said
the church has fully educated its members with pamphlets and
strategically positioned educational structures. He reiterated that the
disease is not airborne, adding that it requires a physical
contact with an infected person or corpse before it can be transmitted.
The Commissioner appealed for "volunteer" doctors,
nurses, phlebotomists; promising that the state government would provide
them with "life insurance" and protective clothing.
Meanwhile the Chairman of the Lagos state Chapter of the
Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Tope Ojo, yesterday said a matron who
attended to the late Liberian man, Patrick Sawyer has shown symptoms of
being infected by the deadly virus.
Dr Ojo said this yesterday while addressing his
members at the state's secretariat. He said 30 doctors have volunteered
to stop their strike action and join in the fight against the deadly
virus. Dr Ojo said fears by some doctors of getting infected by the
disease is the reason for the low number of volunteers recorded.
According to him, most doctors are uncertain of government's commitment
to them should they get infected during the course of consulting with Ebola virus patients.
