The Federal Government today confirmed that the doctor who died in a hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, actually died of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD.
Disclosing this to journalists in Abuja, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the doctor contacted the disease after treating a patient who came in contact with Patrick Sawyer, the index case of Ebola in the country. He noted that the patient, after experiencing some symptoms went for treatment.
According to the Health Minister, “this primary contact of Mr. Sawyer’s evaded our surveillance team in the last week of July 2014 and travelled out of Lagos to Port Harcourt where, as we now understand, he consulted with a doctor and was apparently treated for some symptoms.
“After four days, following a manhunt for him, he returned to Lagos by which time he was found to be without symptoms.”
The same could not be said of the doctor who treated him as he got infected and finally died on August 22.
Continuing, Onyebuchi said, “Following the report of this death by the doctor’s widow the next day, the case had been thoroughly investigated and laboratory analysis showed that this doctor died from EVD, as a result, several contacts have now been traced, registered and placed under surveillance. However, because the widow is now symptomatic, she has been quarantined pending the outcome of laboratory tests on her.”
The minister, who refused mentioning the name of the doctor, said the wife of the doctor has been quarantined and 70 other contacts have since been traced and placed under surveillance in Port Harcourt.
He urged those under surveillance in Port Harcourt to abide by the advice given to them by health officials. He urged other residents not to panic, stressing that the federal government was in full control of the situation.
It would be recalled that this newspaper yesterday reported the demise of a patient suspected to be infected with the dreaded Ebola virus while on admission at a private hospital in D-line area of the Rivers State capital.
Source: Daily Post
