Contrary to claims of an Ebola outbreak in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria is still a World Health Organization-certified Ebola free country?, the Federal Ministry of Health has said.
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At a news conference in Abuja on Friday, Linus Awute, permanent secretary of the ministry, said the country remained Ebola-free.
In addition to ruling out EVD, Hartl notes that the individual was also negative for Lassa virus, another cause of hemorrhagic fever that is relatively common in Nigeria.
The hospital said the released staff have been placed on monitoring until the result of the test conducted on the sample taken from the deceased, a student identified simply as Eyamba, was concluded and announced.
Ebola first reached Nigeria in July 2014, after a Liberian businessman infected with the disease traveled to the country.
“His temperature was 37 degrees”.
“Some of his family members had a history of chicken pox a week to his falling ill, ” he said”.
Ten people were quarantined after coming into contact with the man, who was said to have shown Ebola-like symptoms.
He died seven hours after in hospital. “Other hospital workers were provided with thermometers to monitor their temperature twice daily”.
Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of UCTH, Dr. Queenet Kalu, confirmed the development, admitting that there was a patient who died of symptoms suspected to be haemorrhagic fever.
Awute announced further that precautionary measures have also been put in place, which include the decontamination of the hospitals.
“Our Port Health Services have been on the alert and passenger screenings have continued at all our ports of entry”.
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He said. “The team immediately commenced containment activities and assisted the hospital and state government in the sensitization of citizens and health workers on standard precaution procedures”.
