The Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, has announced that two spouses of the late victims of the Ebola Virus Disease have tested positive to the deadly virus and have subsequently been sent to the Isolation Centre for treament.
Chukwu, who stated this at a news conference in Abuja, said the infection of the two secondary contacts by their late spouses has brought to 14 the number of EVD cases so far recorded in Nigeria, which included the late Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, who imported the virus to the country.
“Nigeria has now recorded the first two cases of EVD in secondary contacts of the index case, the Liberian-American.
“The two patients, a man and a woman, are spouses of primary contacts who have been under surveillance. They were quarantined two days ago but others under surveillance along with them had been released.
“The number of deaths so far recorded remained five while five primary contacts had been successfully managed, discharged and a total of 213 people are currently under surveillance in Lagos and Enugu,”Chukwu stated.
He also said that laboratories for the testing of EVD had been located in six states namely; Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Enugu, Oyo and the Federal Capital Territory.
“In an effort to increase capacity for diagnosis, we have now moved a mobile laboratory with the capability of diagnosing Ebola Virus Disease in Enugu State. We have six secondary contacts who are under surveillance there and if any of them becomes symptomatic, we don’t have to send their specimen to Lagos, they would be diagnosed in Enugu.
“Even if you get infected with the disease and you are still in the incubation period, you cannot transfer it to anybody. When you are not sick, you cannot transfer it to anybody. That is why we are putting people under surveillance.
“The battle is not over but I think the country has done well by containing the spread no doubt. The fact that all the cases so far are limited to the primary contacts showed the effectiveness of the containment,” he said.
On how treatment was being administered on infected persons, the minister said the process starts with the isolation of patients, fluid replacement to avoid dehydration either orally or through drip, blood transfusion and nutrition.
He clarified that those who had been treated and discharged did not use any of the experimental drugs because Nigerian government applied for the trial drug but could not get it from the United States.
Also on Friday, the Minister held a closed-door meeting with the leadership of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria and the Guild of Medical Directors of Nigeria. The two bodies control private medical practitioners.
While the AGPMPN was led Dr. Frank Odafe, the GMDN was led by Dr. Tony Phillips.
