Mixed fortunes for Nigeria, 3 new Ebola cases discovered, 4 patients discharged

It was a case of mixed fortunes for the nation, yesterday, in the management of the Ebola Virus Disease as three fresh cases were discovered, while four of those earlier admitted at the isolation centre in Lagos were discharged.

Lagos State Health Commissioner, Dr. Jide Idris, who confirmed the emergence of three new cases, remarked: “As at yesterday, (Sunday), we had three new suspected cases. One of them is a blood sample from Kaduna State, while the two others are from Lagos and they are primary contacts. A reason for this was that they do not have the laboratory to test for the virus.



“What we have now is that, there are four people dead, including the index (Mr. Patrick Sawyer). We have eight in the isolation ward before Saturday when we released the doctor, and this doctor was released after testing negative and going through the World Health Organisation, WHO and Centre for Disease Control, CDC, procedures for discharge.

Four more discharged

Four additional confirmed patients of Ebola Virus Disease have been discharged from the isolation centre of the Mainland Hospital in Lagos.

The discharged patients, including two male medical doctors, one female nurse and another patient, have been managed successfully and are now disease-free and ready to resume their normal life activities.
The development brings to five the total number of patients diagnosed with Ebola who have now been discharged from hospital, following the discharge of the first EVD patient over the weekend.

Announcing the development yesterday in Abuja, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the three participated in the treatment of the first case of Ebola in Nigeria, the late American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer while the fourth person was a female patient at the time the index case was on admission.
In Lagos, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who briefed newsmen along with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, said the patients would be released yesterday (Monday).

“We have 12 confirmed cases and that includes the index (first) case and all the other cases that we have confirmed positive and those who have died. And today, we have four more patients ready for discharge, and they have gone through the same protocol — the protocol is that before we release anyone or certify him or her negative, he or she has to be symptoms-free for over three days. Also, we had to test their blood and the result proved negative of the virus.

“They will be released today (yesterday) after they have completed their counselling exercise being conducted by our psycho-social team, but they will come periodically for check-ups; though they are okay.”

Three others in Isolation

Assuring that everything was under control, the commissioner said the new cases were being closely monitored.

“The other three patients are still being monitored at the isolation centre. Once they get better, they will be released too.

“The lady who ran to Enugu is still in isolation and has tested positive to the virus. She is among the three still under isolation.”

Treatment of patients
On the nature of treatment being accorded Ebola virus disease patients, Idris explained that there was no specific treatment per se.

“We treat the patients based on the presentation. For instance, if the patient shows symptoms of diarrhoea, he or she has to be treated with electrolyte and others. If the person shows signs of pain, he or she will be given pain-relieving drugs. We have enough drugs to take care of them.

“If they require intensive care, we will do that. This is part of the equipment that has been brought in. They will be provided with such.”

More medical personnel

Giving an update on medical personnel available to care for the patients, Idris remarked: “At the moment, we have more medical personnel to care for the patients. We have eight doctors and nine nurses and some health workers who have gone through the training. We have also been joined by infectious disease experts from Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH. All these people have gone through the training. Though the number is not enough; we need more.”

Expert reacts

Reacting to the development, the Director of Communication and Community Mobilisation for Ebola in Nigeria, Professor Adebayo Onajole said that the country has been able to contain the spread through increased surveillance at the country’s borders (air, land and sea), increased awareness and less disinformation about the disease in the country.

Onajole, a consultant public health expert noted that universal health precautions and personal hygiene are currently being encouraged, a situation which has helped halt the spread of the disease.

He said: “Efforts are currently ongoing to scale up and strengthen all aspects of response, including contact tracking, public information and community mobilization, case management and infection prevention and control, and coordination. There is now increased disease surveillance system in a bid to monitor, control, and prevent any occurrence of the disease,” he concluded.

Five committees have been set up in the country to halt the spread of the disease, investigations reveal. These committees include contact tracing – responsible for tracing contacts of infected persons; case management unit – responsible for managing established cases; and point of entry unit which is charged with the responsibility of examining persons entering Nigeria from various borders.

Three quarantined in Makurdi

Meanwhile, two missionary workers and their driver have been quarantined at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH, Makurdi, the Benue state capital, on suspicion of infection with Ebola virus.
Chief Medical Director of BSUTH, Professor Orkurga Malu, who disclosed this to newsmen in Makurdi, dispelled rumours that the quarantined persons were infected with the virus.

Malu explained that Benue indigenes who hitherto resided in Monrovia for a year where they engaged in missionary work, relocated from the Liberian capital in the wake of the Ebola outbreak.

“There is no truth that some Benue indigenes from Monrovia, Liberia are victims of the deadly Ebola virus. What happened is that since some airlines have shut down operations to Liberia, the couple and their driver had to take a connecting flight from their base to Accra, Ghana where they stayed for a week before travelling to Nigeria.”

While refusing to disclose the identity of the persons concerned, Malu said, on arrival in the state, they were quickly admitted in the hospital and have been kept under close observation.

“They have not shown any symptoms of the disease because at every stage their temperature is checked and tested right from Monrovia before they boarded the plane to Ghana and then Nigeria.
“Since they came in here on Thursday, we have been testing them on a daily basis and there is no evidence of temperature rise or any of the symptoms of the virus.

“So we are 99.9 per cent sure that they do not have Ebola virus. But just in the remotest case of 0.1 percent, we have kept them to ensure they do not have the disease,” he stated.

The CMD who urged the people of the state not to panic assured that the hospital has adequate facilities to cater for any victim of the virus.

Ebola manufactured by Satan - T.B Joshua

By Ihechukwu Njoku

Nigerian Prophet T.B. Joshua of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) declared in his church service on Sunday 17th August 2014 that the killer disease Ebola currently ravaging West Africa is from ‘the pit of hell’.


According to Joshua, who led his congregation in prayer for the nations and individuals affected, time was up for the ‘strange ailment’ and life would soon return to normal for the affected countries.

“The so called strange ailment coming from three nations – Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia… satan is the manufacturer, the source,” Joshua defiantly declared to the faithful.

“Begin to capture the covenant of that strange sickness,” the cleric then enjoined the congregation. “Command that strange ailment to come out and go to the pit of hell, in the name of Jesus Christ!”

“Because of Christ, people of Liberia, Sierra Leona, Guinea, you are released,” Joshua bellowed, accompanied by the vibrant congregants in a service allegedly viewed by millions worldwide through Joshua’s Christian television station Emmanuel TV.

The controversial pastor boldly declared that God had spoken to him to pray for the nations affected by Ebola as its reign of fear was close to closure.

The pastor, cited to be one of Africa’s most influential individuals, decried the toll Ebola had taken on society, especially in the areas of kinship and kindness.

“People are no longer their brother’s keepers because of this strange disease,” he lamented, adding that if someone publicly collapsed from any form of sickness, people would likely abandon the invalid as opposed to lending a helping hand.

“Once satan takes love out of people, he has taken life. Satan is not happy that we are one; he is against oneness. He knows when we are not one, we can be defeated,” he fumed.

“The weapon satan is afraid of is love,” Joshua continued. “Satan can fight anything but he cannot fight love.”

The cleric then cited a poignant question asked by Jesus in Luke 18:8: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

He added that the prayer Jesus offered for His followers’ faith not to fail indicated challenges would arise in the last days which would make many ‘abandon their faith’, Ebola being one such challenge. 

Joshua made headlines this week in local and international media for sending 4,000 bottles of ‘Anointing Water’ to the Ebola stricken nation of Sierra Leone on the request of the government, alongside $50,000 in humanitarian aid.

Last week, Joshua had to debunk a rumour attributed to him that went viral in Nigeria claiming that bathing in salt water would prevent the disease. With over 1.2million followers on Facebook and 90,000 YouTube subscribers, it is easy to understand why Joshua is touted to be among Africa’s most influential individuals currently.

NYSC denies suspension of orientation course in crisis-prone states

NATIONAL Youth Service Corps, NYSC, weekend, debunked a media report that the orientation course for prospective corps members deployed to crisis-prone states has been suspended due to the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD.
The scheme urged prospective corps members to ignore the report, saying orientation course for corps members deployed to Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno states was still on course.
A statement by the NYSC Director of Press and Public Relation, Mrs Olubunmi Aderibigbe, described the report as misleading, asking corps members to report to their various camps for proper documentation.
The statement read: “The attention of the NYSC Management has been drawn to a news report aired on AIT to the effect that the orientation course for prospective corps members deployed to Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno states has been suspended due to the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease.

Nigerian tested in Spain, kept in isolation

The Mailonline also reported that the Nigerian was tested after going to San Juan Hospital in Alicante with the tell-tale signs of the EVD.

Officials of the hospital said the unnamed Nigerian, who is in his 30s, was being kept in isolation until the results of the tests were known.

The officials were said to have activated the Ebola protocol after he complained of the flu-like symptoms associated with the onset of the virus.

Paramedics wearing protective suits and masks transferred him from Alicante General Hospital to nearby San Juan.

His condition on Sunday was described as “stable.”

FG to meet hospital owners , orders arrest of fake hand sanitiser sellers

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said he will meet with leaders of the Association of General Practitioners of Nigeria and the Guild of Medical Directors of Nigeria over reports that some private hospitals were refusing to treat patients suffering from malaria and fever.

There were media reports last week that such private hospitals were doing so because of fear of contracting the Ebola Virus Disease.

Chukwu, in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja, however attributed the action by such hospitals to inadequate information on the nature and mode of spread of the EVD , which claimed its first victim in Nigeria, Patrick Sawyer, in a private hospital in Lagos.

The hospital lost its matron and a nurse who were among health workers that handled Sawyer’s case to the disease.

Another nurse, who was also involved in the treatment of the Liberian-American is currently being quarantined at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba, Lagos after she tested positive to the virus.

The doctor that attended to Sawyer on his arrival at the private health facility, also contracted the virus but she survived after 22 days in the IDH.

Chukwu said, “I am meeting with the leadership of the Association of General Practitioners of Nigeria and the Guild of Medical Directors of Nigeria, this week. The two bodies control private practitioners.

“Part of the reason we want to meet with them is due to reports that the private hospitals were turning back patients suffering from fever and malaria for fear of contracting EVD through them.”

He said with proper education, the country would be able to contain the spread of the disease.

The minister, therefore, urged the media to confirm from him, any rumoured case of Ebola anywhere in the country before publishing.

Chukwu said, “The media should help the ministry to reduce panic in the society over the issue of Ebola, what we need is continuous education of our people. For instance, we have clinical case definition, that is crosschecking cases through laboratory testing.

“That was why, when we went to Abia State, we used the laboratory test to convince everybody that the woman suspected to have Ebola did not have it.

“But because a section of the media did not confirm the true status of the woman from me or from the National Centre for Disease Control, they escalated panic in Abia by publishing that an Ebola case had been reported in the state. That is the only reason why the woman’s blood was taken for testing.”

On fake hand sanitisers and gloves allegedly being sold to the public, he said the ministry had directed the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control to begin investigation and bring all the culprits to book.

The minister said, “NAFDAC will continue to monitor but we strongly believe that the fake versions of hand sanitisers are being produced and sold by some people .

“NAFDAC will continue to do its job and we hope that very soon, those perpetrating the crime will be arrested and prosecuted.”

Chukwu also denied mentioning the name of the female doctor who treated the late Liberian – American. The doctor was discharged from the isolation ward on Saturday.

Chukwu, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Mr. Dan Nwomeh, on Sunday, said he did not refer to the doctor as Dr. Adedevor , as quoted in the media.

The statement read in part, “It has been brought to the attention of the minister that the first Nigerian to be diagnosed of EVD, is being reported in some section of the media to be one Dr. Adadevor.

“The minister wishes to clarify that the name of the patient is not Dr. Adadevo. This should be noted. The minister’s statement on Saturday while indicating that it was a female doctor did not indicate the name of the patient.”

Sahara Reporters later quoted Chukwu as having said in a statement that five EVD patients being treated at the IDH had almost fully recovered.

He was said to have also confirmed that Nano Silver, an experimental drug, had failed to meet the required standards and therefore would not be used on Ebola patients.

29 Ebola patients flee as gunmen invade isolation ward

Fears has however heightened that the EVD might spread further in the region after 29 patients fled when armed men attacked their isolation ward in Monrovia, Liberia on Friday.

The incident happened as a Nigerian was tested for the virus in Alicante, home to 82,000 Britons in Spain.

A witness was quoted by The Mailonline as saying that the Liberian gunmen smashed down the doors of the ward and looted medical supplies.

“They broke down the doors and looted the place. The patients all fled,” said Rebecca Wesseh, who witnessed the attack.

The Head of Health Workers Association of Liberian, George Williams, confirmed the incident.

Armed men attacked an Ebola isolation ward in Liberia’s capital city of Monrovia, as seen from the roof of an abandoned hotel on Friday. A total of 29 patients fled the ward in terror.

UK to examine Nigerian students for Ebola

Thousands of Nigerians admitted into United Kingdom universities appear sure to face tough health screening as their campuses have been placed on the alert for the danger posed by the Ebola Virus Disease.


According to The Independent on Sunday, the alert by Universities UK, the umbrella body that represents vice-chancellors, was issued because the universities are expecting new students to arrive from West Africa.

While the three countries which have seen the largest number of Ebola cases – Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone – have hardly any students enrolling at UK universities, Nigeria – which has also had confirmed cases – is the fourth largest supplier of international students to UK universities.

In 2012-13, the latest year for which figures are available, a total of 9,630 were enrolled.

A spokesman for the body said, “The issue is very much on universities’ radars. We circulated to universities the publicly available guidance on the topic.”

The guidance makes it clear that any student suspected of having Ebola should immediately be isolated in a side room away from any member of staff or student contact.

“The side room should have dedicated en-suite facilities or at least a dedicated commode,” it says. “The level of staff protection is dependent on the patient’s condition,” the London-based newspaper newspaper said.

It added that “those having any dealings with the patient must take careful hand hygiene precautions, wearing double gloves and a disposable visor.

The guidance told university workers that, “evidence from outbreaks strongly indicates that the main routes of transmission of infection are direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membrane) and indirect contact with environments contaminated with splashes or droplets of blood or body fluids.”

It said that experts “agree that there is no circumstantial or epidemiological evidence of an aerosol transmission risk from patients.”

FIFA U-20 Women World Cup: Nigeria trash New Zealand 4-1 to reach semi-finals

The Super Falconets of Nigeria defeated New Zealand in the quater final of the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women World Cup in Canada.

Nigeria started quickly, just as Peter Dedevbo's side did against Korea Republic in the group stage, and proved to be too strong for New Zealand as Asisat Oshoala's brace gave the Super Falconets a 4-1 win and passage into the semi-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014.

Oshoala scored just 31 seconds into the game, finishing an attack that began when Nigeria kicked off. Ugo Njoku sent in an inch-perfect cross from the right to find the No4 in between two New Zealand defenders, who calmly headed home from six yards.

Oshoala's opening goal is the second-fastest goal at a U-20 Women's World Cup, only bested by team-mate Courtney Dike's strike 18 seconds into Nigeria's second group stage game.

With the African side clearly in charge, Oshoala doubled Nigeria's lead 11 minutes later.

Chinwendu Ihezuo sent a delightful ball into space, beating four Kiwi defenders with the pass, for Oshoala to chase down. The speedy forward took one touch towards goal and finished through the Lily Alfeld's legs. An enthusiastic dancing celebration with Oshoala and her team-mates ensued near the corner flag.

New Zealand, who were playing in their first quarter-final at a U-20 Women's World Cup, looked out of their comfort zone throughout the first half and were never able to trouble the Nigerian backline. After the second goal,

Dedevbo's team quieted down as well as both teams looked to navigate the wet conditions in Moncton.

After that the action quieted down significantly with Nigeria losing their spark and both teams struggling to control possession on a rainy pitch in Moncton. It was much of the same after the break, though Emma Rolston nearly gave New Zealand a way back into the game in the 54th minute. The No14 was strong in the air and flicked on a hopeful long ball, which nearly caught goalkeeper Sandra Chiichii by surprise at the far post, but she was able to get a hand on it.

Alfeld did well to keep the scoreline at 2-0 in the 68th minute when she tipped Uchenna Kanu's powerful shot off the crossbar that otherwise would have screamed into the roof of the net. There was not much the Kiwi keeper could do, though, six minutes from time when Uchechi Sunday blasted home from six yards off a corner kick to extend Nigeria's lead to 3-0.

Rolston ensured New Zealand would not crash out of the quarter-final empty-handed and, in the 89th minute, she beat her defender to the near post and redirected Jasmine Pereira's cross past Chiichii to make it 3-1. In the waning seconds, however, Nigeria restored their three-goal lead when Sunday scored her second goal in six minutes. The pacey No20 dribbled down the left, beat her defender and calmly finished past Anfeld.

Having won three games in a row, Nigeria will enter the semi-finals full of confidence where they will face the Korea DPR, while New Zealand can head home knowing they have gone further at this U-20 Women's World Cup than any Kiwi side before them.