Little or no activity has been recorded in the Ebola isolation wards in Lagos and Port Harcourt over the last seven days following the discharge of the last patient from the Lagos isolation centre last week.
As at yesterday evening, the number of contacts under surveillance in Port Harcourt had dropped from over 500 to less than 400, while in Lagos, the number dropped below 16, even as contacts gradually exit 21 days of observation. The country has not reported any new case of EVD.
Nigeria current EVD status as at 15 September, 2014 – 19 confirmed cases, seven dead, 12 survivors.
Confirming this position weekend, the Minister of Health, Professor Onybuchi Chukwu said although there have been several rumours about suspected Ebola cases in Nigeria, all the rumoured and suspected cases have been investigated and proven negative.
According to the Minister, at present, there is no single current case of confirmed EVD in Nigeria.
Further investigations by Vanguard showed that in the last two weeks, Nigeria has not reported any new case and the total number of confirmed Ebola cases in Nigeria remains 19 – 15 in Lagos and four in Port Harcourt.
Presently, only 16 people are under surveillance in Lagos and 490 in Port Harcourt.
Chukwu also explained that the total number of death stands at seven.
Responding to the successes recorded so far, he said although there is no active Ebola case in the country, government cannot roll out the drums to celebrate.
“We cannot celebrate for the simple reason that, though we know we have won the battle but not yet the war. We are happy for now. There is nobody with active Ebola virus disease in Nigeria but that is not to say we should be surprised if we had one tomorrow.
“I would not be surprised because right now we still have a number of people on surveillance. We are keeping them on surveillance because there is the possibility that any of them could develop the disease. The reason they are under surveillance is that there is a chance, no matter how slim they may develop the infection,” he added.
Ebola virus was imported into Nigeria via an infected air traveller, an American- Liberian, Patrick Sawyer who entered into Lagos on 20 July and died five days later. Sadly, a close contact of the Lagos case, an ECOWAS staff, fled Lagos, where he was under quarantine, to seek treatment in Port Harcourt.
WHO expresses concern over high risk exposure in PH
Meanwhile, the World Health organisation, WHO, in its situation assessment expressed concern over multiple high-risk exposure opportunities, following the outbreak of EVD in Port Harcourt, adding that the outbreak has the potential to grow larger and spread faster than the one in Lagos.
WHO disclosed that Nigerian health workers and WHO epidemiologists are monitoring more than 200 contacts. Of these, around 60 are considered to have had high-risk or very high-risk exposure.
According to WHO, the highest-risk exposures occurred in family members and in health care workers and patients at the facility where the index (first) case was hospitalised. Church members who visited the index case while he was hospitalised are also considered at high risk.
“WHO, together with the Rivers State Port Health Service, has assessed public health measures at airport gates and other points of entry. Screening is under way at domestic and international airport gates. Social mobilisation efforts have been stepped up, initially targeting key community and religious leaders,” the assessment report revealed.
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