The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, has been Quarantined for 14 days over possible infection with Coronavirus.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, made this known when he appeared before the Senate leadership to brief the lawmakers on the level of preparedness to tackle Coronavirus in Nigeria.
The NCDC is the lead agency in the fight against infectious diseases in the country.
The Centre coordinated the battle against the deadly Ebola virus some years ago.
Ehanire, who appeared before the Senate leadership on Tuesday said Iheakweazu who just returned from China, has been Quarantined for 14 days in line with established safety procedure against Coronavirus.
Ihekweazu was in China at the instance of the World Health Organisation.
Speaking on the level of preparedness, the Minister explained that there are already established Isolation Centres in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt to respond to any emergency.
The minister said: “We were honoured that one of the scientists that WHO had chosen to go to China to study the disease was the DG of NCDC.
“They went there for nine days, during which they carried out investigation.
“But we have already established rules here that anybody who has been to China will go to self quarantine.
“Chikwe has gone (to China) and come back and has done the test.
“It’s negative, but we have insisted that he must undergo the 14 days of quarantine, which is why he was not here today.
“It’s not allowed to come out until after 14 days because if you make rules, you must also obey them, which is to set example for Nigerians that the head of NCDC is self quarantine as we speak.
“He’s very well, but he has to follow the rules.”
