President Goodluck Jonathan on
Monday branded a Liberian-American a
"madman" for bringing Ebola into Nigeria, as
the country announced its 10th confirmed case
of the deadly virus.
Patrick Sawyer died in a Lagos hospital on July
25 in the country's first case of Ebola, which
has claimed the lives of nearly 1 000 people in
West Africa since the start of the year.
The 40-year-old, who was to have attended a
meeting of the regional bloc ECOWAS
(Economic Community of West African States),
was taken to hospital after arriving in Lagos on
a flight from Monrovia via the Togolese capital,
Lome.
Also Read: Jonathan urges Nigerians not to
panic about Ebola
A nurse who treated him died last week, while
tests last weekend confirmed that another had
also contracted the virus. Eight others have
also tested positive, the government said.
"It is unfortunate that one madman brought the
Ebola to us but we have to contain it,"
Jonathan told faith leaders at a conference in
the capital, Abuja, vowing the government
would do "everything possible" to combat its
spread.
Nigeria had until last month been spared from
Ebola, which has spread alarmingly in Guinea,
Sierra Leone and Liberia.
But its arrival has sown fear throughout the
countr. The authorities in sub-Saharan Africa's
largest city have appealed for volunteers
because of a shortage of medical personnel,
exacerbated by a month-long doctors' strike.
A number of measures to tackle the spread of
Ebola, which is passed on through direct
contact with an infected person displaying
symptoms, have already been announced.
Also Read: Spanish Ebola patient gets
experimental drug
Jonathan last week declared a national
emergency in line with World Health
Organization (WHO) advice to affected countries
to trigger disaster response procedures.
Greater funding has been promised to set up
additional isolation centres, border screenings
and contact tracing, while Nigerians have been
told to avoid large gatherings.
'Crazy man'
In his address, Jonathan told faith leaders to
help get the message across and also to pay
close attention to traditional burial ceremonies,
given that the Ebola virus is transmissible from
dead bodies.
"We must advise our people not to over-
celebrate burial now," he said.
Jonathan said that Sawyer contracted Ebola
because his sister died from the infection and
he attended her funeral.
"(He) became a suspect. And the country
(Liberia) asked him not to leave the country so
that he will be observed but the crazy man
decided to smuggle himself out and now we are
suffering because of it," he added.
Following strict professional health advice was
now paramount, Jonathan said, adding: "If we
manage it well we can get over it in two months
and we will return to our normal lives."
Also Read: Could Zmapp be the cure for Ebola?
The WHO said on Friday there were 13 probable
and suspect cases of Ebola, including two
deaths, in Nigeria.
The global health body is discussing the
possible use of an experimental treatment to try
to stem the spread.
Health minister Onyebuchi Chukwu pleaded for
the National Medical Association to call off its
strike, with the union split between those who
want to return to work to tackle the crisis and
those intent on staying out.
The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS)
meanwhile said it had activated all its
volunteers to get across preventative measures
to the public, particularly seeking early medical
advice and treatment.
Secretary-general Bello Hamman Diram said 18
volunteers were assisting in areas such as
contact tracing, health promotion, case
management and public information schemes.
Some 300 other volunteers will be deployed to
help the federal and Lagos State governments
in providing protective equipment as well as
educational and hygiene materials.
No comments:
Post a Comment