The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has confirmed that two new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.
Chukwu made this known at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday morning, where he said that the new confirmed cases had had secondary contact with the index case, the Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer.
“The two patients are spouses of those that had primary contacts with Sawyer. They are among the secondary contacts that have been under surveillance.
“This now brings to four the total number of Ebola patients currently under treatment at the isolation ward.“This also means that the total number of cases of EVD cases so far reported in the country to 14,” he said.
He said that five people have died of the viral disease in Nigeria while the number of those successfully managed and discharged also stands at five.
Chukwu noted that the Federal Government was working vigorously with the Lagos State Government and other partners to maintain vigilance and strengthen containment activities
Meanwhile, the Enugu State Ministry of Health has observed with discomfort that some individuals have been making claims of having either physical or
spiritual cure for Ebola virus disease (EVD).
“The general public is advised to disregard such claims. It is not only false and malicious but misleading. The fact remains that at this moment, there is no certified drug for the cure of Ebola Disease. The Federal Ministry of Health directs that individuals with
such claims should forward it to a scientific committee set up by the
Federal Government.
“Members of the public are encouraged to continue to observe strict
personal hygiene, regular hand washing and limit body contact to
mitigate further spread of the virus,” it said in a statement.
