Panic As Ebola Hits Kaduna - Fear in Lagos

Fear of  fresh cases of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, yesterday, gripped residents of Lagos and Kaduna, following news of the death of a suspected Ebola patient at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi- Araba, just as a 19-year-old student of Law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was allegedly diagnosed with the Ebola virus in Kaduna.

The suspected patient in Lagos, who died at LUTH in the early hours of yesterday, was brought in by the Port Health authorities from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja on Monday.

A source, who was on duty when the patient was admitted into the institution’s Accident & Emergency Unit, A&E, confirmed that the patient showed high-level suspicion for Ebola, but died in the early hours of yesterday at the Spill-Over ward of the hospital.

The source told Chat212 that the patient, a male, was rushed to the A&E, with high fever,  vomiting and stooling which are confirmed Ebola-like symptoms.

Further, it was gathered that the medical team which attended to the patient, unfortunately, were not kitted with the recommended Personal Protective Equipment, PPE.

According to the source: “We quickly took his temperature, it was very high. We were all scared to take his blood samples because we were not wearing any Personal Protective Equipment.  We had to take him out of the emergency ward to the other spill-over ward to avoid any form of contamination. We also reported to the Lagos State Government so that they can take him to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, IDH, in Yaba for proper treatment. But he had started vomiting blood by this morning, (yesterday) and few hours after, he died.”

Chat212 investigations later revealed that the body of the deceased has been transferred to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, IDH, for further testing to ascertain the cause of death.

Continuing, the source explained:  “As I said, we could not take any blood sample when he was alive because we were not wearing PPE, and we could not manage him effectively because of the severity of the symptoms we saw and considering the fact that he was coming from the airport. He could have been coming from an Ebola-affected country.

“They will need to establish the cause of death, so as to be able to know whether to quarantine those that he had contact with from the airport to the hospital.  LUTH does not have the facilities to handle any suspected case of Ebola; government should know that, so they don’t keep bringing suspected cases here. All suspected cases should be taken to IDH.”

Currently, there is growing concern among the medical team that attended to the unknown patient. Some doctors who spoke to Chat212 expressed fear that they may be at risk of Ebola if the patient is confirmed to have the disease.

Other health workers urged the Federal Government to direct Port Health authorities to refer persons with such high index of suspicion to the IDH so as to avert possible transmission of the disease to other people.

We are maintaining high index of suspicion— LUTH CMD

Reacting to the development in a telephone interview, Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Professor Akin Osibogun, who confirmed the death of the patient, however, stated that the hospital was yet to determine the cause of death.

Dismissing it as ‘mere rumour’, he said although the patient had high level of suspicion for Ebola, it was yet to be confirmed if he had the disease.

“There is a difference between suspected and confirmed cases and you as a journalist should know.  There is no need creating panic. We are only investigating the case to protect our people. We have had that situation two times in the hospital now. If you now say everybody that vomits has Ebola, then you cannot go to work because everybody at the bus stop will be running away, and that is creating panic.”

Osibogun maintained that there is no Ebola patient, adding that the hospital will not hesitate to make it public if there is a case of Ebola in the hospital.

“If we have a case we will announce it. As at today, Tuesday, 4pm, we have not had any Ebola patient or anyone that died of Ebola in the hospital.

“The last time we had a similar case, we investigated and it was negative. When we decide to investigate, it does not make the patient an Ebola patient. The other day, people started tweeting that we have an Ebola patient in the hospital. Our role is not to create panic but to keep our people safe.  Somebody imported Ebola into the country and we are tackling it professionally; that is why we have been able to contain the spread,” he explained.

Further, Osibogun said:  “In the case of this patient, for the fact that the patient had high level of suspicion does not make the patient an Ebola patient.  When you create panic many nurses may decide to abandon the patients.

“We have been able to establish that this patient has no history of Ebola or any contact with a person that had Ebola. We are only trying to investigate the patient.  If the patient turns positive we will let you know.  As long as we are in the hospital, from time to time, we will always have high level suspicion and most times these patients turn out to be negative,” he stressed.

Scare in Zaria

Meanwhile,  Kaduna State may have recorded its first case of the Ebola virus infection. The  Public Relations Officer of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, ABUTH, Mallam Bilyaminu Umar, yesterday, told Chat212 on phone that a law student from ABU has been admitted at  ABUTH, Shika, Zaria with signs similar to that of the Ebola lethal fever.

“I can tell you that a law student who has been ill for some time has shown signs of the Ebola fever. But we are still studying the development. He has already been quarantined, and all safety measures are in place. So there is no need for panic. I cannot tell you more than this”, he said.

Confirming the development to Chat212 yesterday night, Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Dr Thot Dogo said: “The hospital (ABUTH) authorities alerted the Ministry when it suspected that a Law undergraduate of ABU, Zaria started showing some signs of Ebola symptoms like high fever and rashes on his body after over a week he was admitted at the hospital.

“The blood sample of the patient has been taken to a laboratory in Lagos for tests, which will come out by Tuesday next week. The outcome of the laboratory result will determine further actions.

“The state government has provided the hospital management with protective equipment for its team of medical personnel attending to the patient,” he said.

Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, who is Chairman, Kaduna State Ebola Prevention and Control Committee, told Chat212 on phone that the situation should not cause any anxiety in the state.

“Kaduna State Governor, Dr. Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, in his wisdom, has designated three Ebola quarantine and prevention centres in the three senatorial zones of the state just for this kind of emergency. We have all the equipment and the personnel and two of the sites are ready.

“There is small misunderstanding between my committee and some members of the community. But we are talking and bridging the communication gap. So, in a very short time, we shall be ready to contain any outbreak in any of the zones, with the assistance of the Federal Government and the World Health Organisation.

“But while people should not unduly panic, like bathing with salt, drinking salt water and chewing bitter kola, we urge all residents of the state to maintain basic hygiene habits, like washing of hands before and after meals. People should avoid exotic wild meat for now, and cook every food well. Even though we are yet to confirm this case, we encourage people to report any sign on a sick person that may exhibit Ebola to the nearest medical health facility scattered all over the state,” he said.

It could be recalled that there was anxiety last Thursday in parts of Kaduna metropolises as protesters set up barricades and made bonfires to protest against a proposed Ebola quarantine centre in some parts of  a Kaduna slum, called Down Quarters.

The protesters walked about two kilometres to the secretariat of Kaduna South Local Government Council before addressing the press and the public.

The chairman of Down Quarters Association, Mr. James Ojo had said:   “The first thought for the proposed site was like any other rumour until officials from the Ministry of Health started visiting the Primary Health Care facility located within the community.

“This aroused the suspicion of the people who confronted them on why the sudden visit to the health facility which has been abandoned by the local government for years and we got the shock of our lives when we were told that the government intended to use the area for disease control area including HIV/AIDs and Ebola patients.

“The community was not comfortable with the development and as if that is not enough, the Commissioner of Health in Kaduna State, Dr. Joseph Thot and his permanent secretary visited the facility and even refused to give any explanation for their visit to the place.

“The next thing we saw was that the Deputy Governor, Amb. Nuhu Bajoga, Commissioner of Health and a lady came to the facility which was opened to them; they went round and left without any word. So that was why when we met, we decided to embark on this peaceful protest because without us, there is no government.

“No reasonable government will jeopardize the health of its people by locating Ebola quarantine facility within their community inside a township like Kaduna,” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, the village head of Down Quarters, Alhaji Shuaibu Mohammed said as the traditional ruler in charge of the community, he expected the government and ministry of health officials to inform him of their plan; but they kept mute only to hear that it was an Ebola disease control area.

“If it is any other disease, the community would not be bothered, but when they mentioned Ebola, all the people became scared based on what they have heard and read about the virus.

“First of all, this facility was built during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and handed over to the local government to run and unfortunately, after sometimes it was abandoned because Kaduna South Local Government was short of staff.

“Vandals invaded the facility and there was even a time that somebody was killed in front of it. The community then raised about N2million to fence the facility and employed a security guard to safeguard it because we know it will benefit us.

“So, why are they now saying they will convert it to Ebola quarantine area. We have children in this community that go about and may easily get in contact with Ebola patients and that’s a death sentence not only to the children but to the community.

“If government is serious in setting up Ebola quarantine centres, they should go to the outskirts of the town as practiced internationally; both myself and the people in Down Quarters will rise against the government to ensure that the quarantine site is removed from our community,” he said.

Chief security officer of the community, Mallam Ahmed Yusuf in his own reaction said, Down Quarters is a mini-Nigeria and a community that has enjoyed peace and stability in the face of riots and uprisings in the state. He wondered why Kaduna State Government is trying to disturb the peace of the community by locating Ebola quarantine area or diseases control centre in their community. He advised the Kaduna State Government to think twice.

“The first market in Kaduna metropolis is located here. The first timber market is here. We’ve been living in this slum but we’ve endured because the government abandoned us. But today, they only remember Down Quarters because they’re looking for people who can be infected with Ebola by locating the quarantine facility within their community. We don’t want it, we want them to take it to another site,” Yusuf said.

FG denies reports

When contacted on phone, Special Assistant to the Minister of Health on Media and Communications, Mr. Dan Nwome dismissed the reports.

“Some people are hell bent on causing Ebola panic in Nigeria. The Minister of Health’s office alone gets more than 10 false alarms/reports of Ebola daily.

“The Kaduna report is totally untrue. In fact, ABUTH has no laboratory that can diagnose Ebola as reported. No confirmed case of Ebola in Kaduna or Abuja. Please disregard the false, so-called breaking news,” he stated.

Cases may reach 100,000

A researcher has predicted that the number of cases of the EVD may reach 100,000 by December 2014. Last week, the World Health Organisation  estimated that the number of cases could ultimately exceed 20,000.

“If the epidemic in Liberia were to continue in this way until the first of December, the cumulative number of cases would exceed 100,000,” the researcher predicted, according to a model that Ghana, the United Kingdom, and the United States are among the countries most likely to have an introduced case.

Another American doctor infected in Liberia

Another American doctor has been infected with the Ebola virus in Liberia, the missionary group he worked for, SIM, has stated.

The doctor, whose name was not released, was working in the obstetrics unit at the SIM ELWA hospital in Monrovia, Liberia. The group says he was not involved in treating Ebola patients and it is not clear how he became exposed to the virus.

He is now receiving treatment at the hospital’s Ebola isolation unit. In a statement, SIM said he “is doing well and is in good spirits.”

Last month, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, American aid workers who were infected with Ebola, were discharged from an Atlanta hospital after recovering from the virus. Writebol also worked for SIM.

Liberia doctors on strike, U.N. warns of food shortages due to Ebola

Scores of healthcare workers at Liberia’s main hospital have gone on strike over unpaid wages, complicating the fight against the world’s worst Ebola epidemic that the U.S. disease prevention chief said was spiralling out of control.

As well as the rapidly mounting human toll, the United Nations warned the spread of the fever could lead to food shortages in West Africa, potentially further depleting the resources of governments frantically trying to contain it.

The World Health Organisation and other international bodies are scrambling to support  fragile healthcare systems in some of the world’s poorest countries, but so far additional staff and resources have been slow to arrive on the ground.

The strike at the John F. Kennedy Medical Centre (JFK) in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, follows a one-day protest over pay and conditions at the Connaught Hospital in Sierra Leone’s capital on Monday. Both hospitals have treated Ebola patients.

Poor response to Ebola causing needless deaths: World Bank head

The world’s “disastrously inadequate response” to West Africa’s Ebola outbreak means many people are dying needlessly, the head of the World Bank said on Monday, as Nigeria confirmed another case of the virus. In a newspaper editorial, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said Western healthcare facilities would easily be able to contain the disease, and urged wealthy nations to share the knowledge and resources to help African countries tackle it.

”The crisis we are watching unfold derives less from the virus itself and more from deadly and misinformed biases that have led to a disastrously inadequate response to the outbreak,” Kim wrote in the Washington Post.

“Many are dying needlessly,” read the editorial, co-written by Harvard University Professor Paul Farmer, with whom Kim founded Partners In Health, a charity that works for better healthcare in poorer countries.In a vivid sign of the danger posed by inadequate health provision, a man escaped from an Ebola quarantine centre in Monrovia on Monday and sent people fleeing in fear as he walked through a market in search of food, a Reuters witness said.

The patient, who wore a tag showing he had tested positive for Ebola, held a stick and threw stones at a doctor from the centre in the Paynesville neighborhood who stood at a distance and tried to persuade him to give himself up. At one point, he stumbled and fell, apparently weakened by illness. Healthcare workers wearing protective clothing forced him into a medical vehicle and returned him to the facility.

“We told the Liberian government from the beginning that we do not want an Ebola camp here. Today makes it the fifth Ebola patient coming outside vomiting,” said a man who watched the scene. Another witness said patients at the treatment centre did not receive enough food. Ebola can only be transmitted by contact with the bodily fluids of a sick person, but rigorous measures are required for its containment. There is no proven cure, though work on experimental vaccines has been accelerated.

More than 1,500 people have been killed in West Africa in the worst outbreak since the disease was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 3,000 people, mostly in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, have been infected. Poor healthcare provision has exacerbated the challenge. Liberia had just 50 doctors for its 4.3 million people before the outbreak, and many medical workers have died of Ebola.

Shortages of basic goods, foodstuffs and medical equipment have been worsened by a decision by some airlines to stop flying to the worst-hit countries. Several neighboring states have closed their borders and many international organizations have pulled out their foreign staff. The World Health Organization said last week that casualty figures may be up to four times higher than reported, and that up to 20,000 people may be affected before the outbreak ends. It launched a $490 million plan to contain the epidemic.

Kim and Farmer said that, if international organizations and wealthy nations mounted a coordinated response with West African nations using the WHO plan, the fatality rate could drop to below 20 percent – from 50 percent now.

“We are at a dangerous moment,” they wrote. “Tens of thousands of lives, the future of the region and hard-won economic and health gains for millions hang in the balance.”

Nigeria confirmed a third case of Ebola on Monday in the oil hub of Port Harcourt, bringing the total of confirmed infections nationwide to 17, with around 270 people under surveillance.

A doctor in Port Harcourt died last week after treating a contact of the Liberian-American man who was the first recorded case of the virus in Africa’s most populous country. That raised alarm that Ebola, which looked on the verge of being contained in the commercial capital, Lagos, may flare up elsewhere. Senegal, a transport hub and center for aid agencies, became the fifth African nation to confirm a case of Ebola on Friday, a 21-year-old Guinean student who had evaded surveillance in his homeland and arrived in Dakar.

“People should know that, if it were not for this boy’s state of health, he would be before the courts,” President Macky Sall told state television. “You cannot be a carrier of sickness and take it to other countries.”

Some shops in the bustling Senegalese capital ran out of hand sanitizer on Monday as concerned residents stocked up. The house and shop owned by the student’s relatives in the densely populated Dakar neighborhood of Parcelles Assainies was disinfected by health teams. Authorities placed 20 people who had come into contact with the student under surveillance and were giving them twice-daily health checks.

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