Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Ebola: Nigeria Death Toll Now 7, as Rivers Female Patient Dies
Healthcare workers during the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
Posted by: Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja
The Nation, Nigeria

….one patient discharged, two still in isolation

The number of death from the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country has increased to seven.

The latest to die of the virus is the female patient who was on admission in the same hospital with the Port Harcourt Doctor, Iyke Enemuo.

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu disclosed the death of the female patient  in his latest update on the virus in the country .

“Total number of deaths from Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria is now seven (7).  One (1), the index case, occurred in a private hospital in Lagos, four (4) in the Lagos isolation ward, one (1) in the Port Harcourt isolation ward (the female patient who was on admission in the same hospital where the late Port Harcourt doctor was also admitted), while another one (1) was the doctor who was infected by the ECOWAS Commission official in Port Harcourt and who did not come under the care and management of the Incident Management Committee.”

He also noted that another patient was however discharged following full recovery from the ailment.

The latest discharge brings to eight the number of patients discharged so far.

The last case to be discharged, the minister stated in a press statement issued by his media aide, Mr Dan Nwomeh “is the first secondary contact to be diagnosed and a spouse of a primary contact of the index case.”

He stated she went home from the isolation ward in Lagos Tuesday. (The 9th survivor is the ECOWAS Commission official who jumped surveillance in Lagos and travelled to Port Harcourt where he infected the doctor who attended to him).”

Also, confirmed cases in the country is now eighteen according to the minister’s update.

The eighteenth confirmed case he stated is the sister of the late Port Harcourt doctor.

Total number of cases successfully managed and discharged is now eight.    While total  number of EVD patients currently under treatment is two (2), one in the Lagos isolation ward and another one (1) in the Port Harcourt isolation ward.

Total number of contacts currently under surveillance in Lagos is forty one (41), while Port Harcourt has two hundred and fifty five (255) and the  Total number of contacts discharged in Lagos after they were observed for 21 days is 320.

The minister also debunked rumours of EVD cases outside Lagos and Port Harcourt. These include the three (3) reported cases in the Federal Capital Territory and one case in Calabar.

The minister further debunked the story that the body of the late Port Harcourt doctor was transported to Edo or Delta State, saying the body has been decontaminated and will be interred in Port Harcourt.

On the the rumoured case in Zaria, the minister stated that the blood sample has been sent for Ebola testing.

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