Two New Cases of Ebola Reported in Port-Harcourt
Nigeria's health ministry has reported two confirmed cases of Ebola in Port-Harcourt, bringing the country's total to 15.
The Minister who confirmed this in a statement issued on Thursday said one of them is a primary contact of the index case (Mr. Patrick Sawyer). Even though presently he does not have EVD but further laboratory tests indicate that he had suffered EVD.
According to the minister, this primary contact of Mr. Sawyer’s evaded surveillance team in the last week of July 2014 and travelled out of Lagos to Port Harcourt where 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 case would have been of no further interest since he had completed the 21 days of surveillance without any other issue, but for the fact that the doctor who treated him died last Friday, 22nd August, 2014.
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
Five people have now died from Ebola in Nigeria during the latest outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Thursday the virus has killed at least 1,550 people and infected more than 3,000. The majority of cases have been in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The WHO said Wednesday that 80 people are also being monitored for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in an outbreak that is not related to the one in West Africa.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing an additional $5 million to fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The new funding will be used for health equipment, training of health care workers and support of public outreach campaigns.
USAID has now committed nearly $20 million to combat Ebola since the outbreak was first reported in March.
A shortage of protective equipment is one of the factors contributing to the epidemic.
The Minister who confirmed this in a statement issued on Thursday said one of them is a primary contact of the index case (Mr. Patrick Sawyer). Even though presently he does not have EVD but further laboratory tests indicate that he had suffered EVD.
According to the minister, this primary contact of Mr. Sawyer’s evaded surveillance team in the last week of July 2014 and travelled out of Lagos to Port Harcourt where 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 case would have been of no further interest since he had completed the 21 days of surveillance without any other issue, but for the fact that the doctor who treated him died last Friday, 22nd August, 2014.
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
Five people have now died from Ebola in Nigeria during the latest outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Thursday the virus has killed at least 1,550 people and infected more than 3,000. The majority of cases have been in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The WHO said Wednesday that 80 people are also being monitored for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in an outbreak that is not related to the one in West Africa.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing an additional $5 million to fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The new funding will be used for health equipment, training of health care workers and support of public outreach campaigns.
USAID has now committed nearly $20 million to combat Ebola since the outbreak was first reported in March.
A shortage of protective equipment is one of the factors contributing to the epidemic.
Two New Cases of Ebola Reported in Port-Harcourt
Reviewed by The Niger Times
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8:28 am
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Reviewed by The Niger Times
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8:28 am
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