The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said Nigeria has only one active case of the infectious Ebola virus.
Giving an update on government's effort to contain the disease yesterday during a press-conference in Abuja, Chukwu said: "Today is the 37th day since the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) was imported into Nigeria by a Liberian-American. As of today (yesterday), Nigeria has had 13 cases of EVD, including the index case.
"However, seven of the infected persons were successfully managed at the isolation ward in Lagos and have been discharged.
"Two of the treated patients, a male doctor and a female nurse, were discharged yesterday (Monday) evening, having satisfied the criteria for discharge.
"As I speak with you, Nigeria has only one confirmed case of EVD, a secondary contact of Mr Patrick Sawyer's and spouse of one of the physicians who participated in the management of the index case. She is stable but still undergoing treatment at the isolation ward in Lagos."
He explained that so far, all the reported cases of Ebola in Nigeria had their roots in the index case, the late Sawyer, adding: "This is an indication that thus far, Nigeria has contained the disease outbreak."
The minister, however, refused to be drawn into a hasty conclusion that the virus had been completely eradicated in Nigeria, maintaining that it had been contained but not yet eradicated.
"We cannot say we have eradicated the Ebola virus" Chukwu explained, "We can say we have contained it; every case so far have been traced to one source. Secondly, we have kept the disease in one location in Lagos." Continuing, Chukwu said: "Excellence is a journey, it is not a destination, as every country of the world remains at risk; every citizen of the world remains at risk."
The minister, who was joined at the briefing by the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, assured the global community of the Nigerian government's commitment to remain vigilant. He also took time to explain that Ebola patients who had been declared free of the virus and discharged cannot spread the disease.
"They may be healthier than some people; they are more certain that they are free. They are the safest. If you want anybody to come to your house, these people are the safest," he said, in the bid to stem the stigmatisation of patients who have survived the disease.
The Minister of Health also decried the rumour making the rounds that the N1.9 billion federal government intervention fund released to combat Ebola was meant for a jamboree.
Chukwu, who expressed concern over the culture of impunity by Nigerians with regards to public funds, promised that the money would be used judiciously.
He said: "The money was made available for an emergency; it is not an Ebola Fund. I hear even villagers are asking for their own share. Nigerians are always asking for money to share."
He also clarified the rationale behind Federal Government's disbursement of N200 million to Lagos State, stating that it was meant to tackle the spread of the Ebola virus.
"The money was given to support Lagos State Government because the state had been spending its own funds. The job of preventing the outbreak of an epidemic is not a state duty, it is a federal government responsibility," he maintained.
The Lagos State Government also confirmed that two additional victims of Ebola have been discharged, thereby bringing the number of survivors to seven; disclosing that it had not received the N200 million, which the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved last week for the containment of the virus. In his words, "is yet to get a dime from the federal government to boost the containment and management of the virus".
The state's Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who gave the update alongside his information counterpart, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, and Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, said 331 contacts "have been followed up so far".
At the briefing, Idris advised Lagosians not to panic, stating that getting infected with Ebola was not an automatic death sentence.
"This has been buttressed by the recovery of seven confirmed suspects, who have been re-integrated successfully with their families and communities. The common trend among the recovered cases is their early presentation for supportive treatment. "There is no need to hide friends and relations we suspect have come down with the disease. The earlier they are brought for screening and surveillance, the better the outcome," he said.
He, however, said an additional 10 contacts "were listed on Monday, raising it to 331. Of the number, 159 have been cleared and discharged on completion of the 21-day surveillance".
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