Omotolani Oresanwo with Agency report
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An Ebola scare has been reported in Cross Rivers State, a year after the country was declared free of the virus. Fifteen people were reported to have been quarantined at the accident and emergency ward of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital after coming into contact with a man showing Ebola-like symptoms, officials said.
The man reportedly died shortly after being admitted to hospital in Calabar.
Those quarantined included nine nurses, one doctor, four health workers and one patient.
On Wednesday, the three countries worst affected by Ebola – Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia – recorded their first week with no new cases since the outbreak began in March 2014.
More than 11,000 people died in the West African Ebola outbreak, the worst known occurrence of the disease in history.
New cases have fallen sharply in 2015, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the disease could break out again.
The latest scare happened when a patient arrived at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital on Wednesday.
“We have sent blood samples for testing and quarantined identified contacts,” said Queeneth Kalu, the hospital’s chief medical director.
Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the teaching hospital, Dr. Queeneth Kalu, said the blood sample of the patient had been sent for testing while identified contacts had been quarantined.
At a press briefing in Calabar on Thursday, Kalu said that the National Centre for Disease Control, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Cross River State Government as well as the Department of State Services had been informed of the development.
She said, “On Wednesday October 7, 2015, we managed a patient who presented with symptoms mimicking viral haemorrhagic fever. Due to the remote chance of it being contagious, we have sent the blood samples for testing and quarantined identified contacts.
“Further information will be made available as soon as we receive the results of the samples sent for analysis.”
Also at the briefing, Deputy Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Edet Ikpi, said all necessary precautions as prescribed by the World Health Organisation had been taken to forestall any eventuality. He however said that there was no cause for panic by members of the public.
Ikpi urged the media to be cautious of what was being reported as no case of EVD had been established.
The Federal Government on Thursday confirmed that it had despatch a team of medical experts to the UCTH
Ebola arrived in Nigeria in July 2014 when a Liberian businessman, Sawyer collapsed at Lagos airport. In all, 19 people were infected of whom seven died.
WHO declared the country Ebola free in October last year.
