A nurse who had close contact with a Liberian Ebola patient skipped quarantine in Lagos and went to her home in the eastern city of Enugu, where she made contact with 20 other people, the government said on Wednesday.
Information Minister Labaran Maku said the nurse, herself a suspected case, and her 20 contacts were all under surveillance in Enugu.
NigerianEye gathered that while 177 are being quarantined in Lagos where the index case was reported, 21 persons are being attended to in Enugu.
Bringing the total number of quarantined patents to 198.
Maku explained that of the 198 persons under surveillance, 177 of them are in Lagos while 21 are in Enugu.
He said: “All those who had primary contact have been quarantined. Secondary contacts have also been traced. So far, the number of people that have been traced is 198.
“Of this number, 177 are in Lagos and are being traced. Some are in quarantine, some are being monitored by health specialists.”
Meanwhile, the death toll world wide from the outbreak stands at 1,069 and total number of infections 1,975, according to the World Health Organisation.
Liberia was hit extremely hard this week, with 71 cases and 32 deaths from Sunday to Monday. Fifty-six deaths and 128 new cases were reported in that same period across all four West African countries affected by the virus.
21 Ebola suspects in Enugu under watch
Giving details on the escapee, Maku revealed that she travelled to Enugu from Lagos against instruction not to leave Lagos State.
He said: “The 21 persons in Enugu under watch now is as a result of their involvement with the nurse who disobeyed medical instructions and somehow travelled to Enugu. All those who she was in contact with, including her husband, are under quarantine. The medical team has been able to trace all those who made contact with her.”
While warning that government would prosecute anybody found spreading false rumours or unverified reports over the Ebola epidemic, Maku said government was expanding presence of health officers to strategic entry points in the country.
“Health workers are now in all our border units. At all the entry points into this country and exit points, we have port health workers that are working in our airports and seaports.
“We are calling on citizens, specifically, to co-operate. If health workers say you have had contact with A, B, C, don’t move to anywhere, respect that judgment. It is very important. In one or two cases where we have had disobedience, we lost one of them and this one now moved with it to another place (Enugu).
“So we are urging Nigerians, please to help us in making sure that all these messages and appeals we are making, we implement them.”
He noted that the Ministry of Health had set up a special committee specifically to take claims from Nigerians who believe they could help and so far “we have had a lot of reports from Nigerians at home and abroad who come forward to say they have possibility of developing therapies that could help in fighting the virus.
“There is no cure so far, anywhere in the world. Even the trial drug in the US is still a trial drug; it has not been established.
“One of the doctors and research experts that came forward was Dr. Simon Agwale, who has been one of the frontline global researchers on developing vaccines for HIV and other viral diseases.
“He also came forward and said he could help, both in terms of working to develop a vaccine, which he said he has started work on between himself and his fellow experts in the US and he said this is ongoing.”
Maku stated that the Minister of Health had given support and directed him to the committee. He also discussed the possibility of certain therapy which could be applied and again that is being discussed. Once it is approved, it could be used.”
Escapee nurse, husband arrested, returned to Lagos
There was anxiety among residents of Enugu, yesterday following reports that 21 persons have been quarantined in the city for having direct contact with a suspected Ebola patient who escaped from Lagos.
Officials of Enugu State Government claimed ignorance of the development but there were fears that the government might be keeping the information secret to prevent panic among residents.
The telephone line of the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. George Eze, remained switched off yesterday while another commissioner who was contacted said he was not aware of anybody being quarantined in Enugu.
But a medical consultant with the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, Enugu, told newsmen that some officials of the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, in Lagos were in Enugu last week to pick the suspected female Ebola victim who escaped from a quarantine centre in Lagos.
The woman and her husband were picked up from their residence at Trans-Ekulu and were immediately taken to Lagos where they have been kept under surveillance.
The consultant said about 21 people believed to have had direct contact were being quarantined for close monitoring by officials of the state Ministry of Health, but he was not aware of the hospital. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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You are worse than Patrick sawyer that brought the virus to Nigeria.You instead went to polite your own people and your are in the medical field and knows the implication of your action .Wickedness in high places.God help us.
ReplyDeleteThat minister must be stupid to allow the nurse to escape, only for him to be proud to say it. She escaped your quarantine in Lagos but you were able to traced her back to Enugu and also quarantined 20 people she had contact with, and put them under surveillance. How are you sure she will not escape again or one of the 20 persons escaping. If you can't watch her in Lagos, how can you watch her in Enugu,her home. How about those that was with her in the bus to Enugu, what happen to them. Tell Nigerians were you quarantined them in Enugu and where you have quarantine center in Enugu. Tell us her name and the particular area she escaped to, instead of creating panic in the whole State. Tell us how you were able to locate her and her 20 contacts. What demand the truth Mr Minister. I believed you but explain the circumstances surrounding her escaped and how you were able to track her and the other 20 peoples. Thank you Sir.
ReplyDeleteu dont hv to blame d minister for d woman escaping bc d woman must hv plan her strategies of escapin.afer all ther re patients dat run away fr hospital wtout payin ther bills aft being treated.d blame is solely on d woman bc she knew d implicatn n yet she escape.nw she has involved husband n other pple who had secondary contact wt her.i see her action as stupidity since she is a nurse n knws d health implicatn of her actions.she shld hv undastnd dat her running away to her home town means her putting her husband n other of her family members into risk bf an external person.moreso is nt everybody dat is isolated has d infectn.d re only monitorin them.d woman nurse action is more bad.wat is her benefit of putting her husband n probably other close relative/neighbourss at risk.i believe dat God wil gv our scientist wisdom to get d vaccine for it.though fr d latest report fr d eurpean countries,ther re strong indications dat d hv gotten d vaaccine bt it is still under clinical trials.d true fact is dat ebola must get vaccine bt hw soon n d concrete fact is dat ebola must go.
ReplyDeletethe only thing Nigerian officials take serious is sharing public funds. hw can sum1 under quarantine escape with such an infectious disease? it shows the issue is still being handled with kid glove. That nurse should b seen as a terrorist nd executed publicly. a woman that has no regards even 4 her family. will running out of quarantine cure or save her? this is a very wicked move nd should be discouraged.
ReplyDeleteGod helps us
ReplyDeleteHer name is obi justina egelonu nd wia she hails from is not yet known cos the minister is playing with ppls life, l think everything about the stupid nurse should be made known to nigerians to avoid much spread of the virus since she has started the game.
ReplyDeleteB-R-E-A-K-I-N-G News!!!
ReplyDeleteNurse Justina (25) Is Dead...
Nurse Justina Obi Ejelonu, one of the Nurses that
attended to Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American
Ebola carrier who flew to Nigeria has died. Justina
passed away this morning at the quarantine facility
in Lagos.
She was the face of the campaign arguing the US
government to release the Zmapp experimental
drugs to Ebola victims in Nigeria. One of the
campaigners, Mr John Okiyi-Kalu confirmed to
liveschoolnews.com.ng few minutes ago about the
death of Nurse Justina.
We sincerely thank Nigerians who participated in the
campaign to save Nurse Justina and other Nigerian
Ebola patients.
May Her Soul Rest In Peace!!!
Lets honour her by typing the RIP
1 hr · Public
She is not Justina Obi
ReplyDeleteNigerian Minister for Health, Professor Onyebuchi
ReplyDeleteChukwu has confirmed that the Lagos nurse who
travelled to Enugu against medical advice is now back
in Lagos and is under quarantine with her husband.
The nurse, who had contact with Liberian-American
Patrick Sawyer, caused a stir on Wednesday when it
was discovered that she had travelled to Enugu and had
contact with at least 21 people during her unauthorized
trip to the Southeastern city.
However, Chukwu says the nurse has so far not
developed the symptoms as of the time of her trip.
“In Enugu yesterday, there were 21 secondary contacts
with the nurse. But after investigations, there are only 6
secondary contacts now”, he said in Abuja on
Thursday.
“The nurse who is newly wedded had no symptoms of
the disease when she travelled to Enugu, was
transported back to Lagos in a special ambulance with
her husband. Her husband is under quarantine now”.
Chukwu also confirmed that a Nigerian in the Diaspora
was sending an experimental drug for Ebola treatment,
and the drug, whose name is ‘Nanosilver’, would arrive
in Nigeria today.
“The experimental drug is a donation from a Nigerian
scientist in Diaspora who was concerned about threat of
Ebola in his home country. The drug will reach Nigeria
today”, he said.
On updates on Ebola cases in Nigeria, he said some of
the 169 secondary contacts of Sawyer were no longer
under surveillance and had been released, having
completed the 21 days of incubation period.
Ebola: Nurse, husband who escaped
ReplyDeletequarantine relocated to Lagos in special
ambulance- Minister
on august 14, 2014 at 1:33 pm in news
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Nigerian Minister for Health, Professor Onyebuchi
Chukwu has confirmed that the Lagos nurse who
travelled to Enugu against medical advice is now back
in Lagos and is under quarantine with her husband.
The suspect, identified as a nurse, said to have travelled
to her home town to visit her family, is now under
surveillance with 20 others she came into contact with in
the city.
With the development, the total number of Nigerians
under monitoring for the dreaded virus is now 198.
Revealing these facts yesterday after the Federal
Executive Council meeting in Abuja, Information Minister,
Labaran Maku, explained that Nigeria currently has 10
confirmed cases of Ebola, all stemming from the visit of
the late Sawyer.
Maku explained that of the 198 persons under
surveillance, 177 of them are in Lagos while 21 are in
Enugu.
He said: “All those who had primary contact have been
quarantined. Secondary contacts have also been traced.
So far, the number of people that have been traced is
198.
“Of this number, 177 are in Lagos and are being traced.
Some are in quarantine, some are being monitored by
health specialists.”
Meanwhile, the death toll world wide from the outbreak
stands at 1,069 and total number of infections 1,975,
according to the World Health Organisation.