Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris
He Lagos State Government on Monday said 59 people in the state came in contact with the 40-year-old Liberian who died of Ebola virus in Lagos.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who made this known in Ikeja, explained that the number consisted of 44 health care workers and 15 others at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
The commissioner said the government had not been able to establish the number of contacts the Liberian had on the plane that flew him into Nigeria because the management of Asky Airline had not provided it with the manifest.
He however said that out of the 55 known contacts, 20 had been screened and released.
Idris said, “So far, 59 contacts have been registered, consisting 44 hospital contacts (38 health care workers and six laboratory staff) and 15 airport contacts. The 15 airport contacts comprise three ECOWAS staff-driver, Liaison, and Protocol Officer, Nigerian Ambassador to Monrovia, two nursing staff and five airport passenger handlers.
“As of the time of this report, 20 contacts had been physically screened of which 50 per cent had type one contact and 50 per cent had had type two contact.
“Airline manifest has not been provided by the airline and therefore the precise number of passenger contacts has yet to be ascertained, especially as two flights were involved (Monrovia-Lome and Lome-Lagos). There was no report of medical incident and the General Declaration report of the flight.”
The commissioner, who advised Nigerians not to panic, said nobody in the country had been infected with the virus.
He added that the state and the federal governments were working to ensure that the virus did not infect anybody in the country.
Idris said, “We can categorically state that as of today, we have only one case of imported Ebola and death. No Nigerian is infected, but all contacts are being actively followed.
“We call on all Nigerians to be calm and not panic. We assure them that both the state and the Federal Government are up in arms to ensure that the virus did not escape and that no Nigeria is infected with this virus.”
He stated that the state government was working with national and international bodies to be on top of the situation and prevent any unpleasant development.
“The National Centre for Disease Control of the Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation established an Incident Command Centre that coordinates the Rapid Response Team activities on the field. Five working groups were established, namely: (i) Contact tracing, Surveillance & Laboratory (ii) Health education/Social mobilisation (iii) Case management and infection prevention/control (iv) Logistics (v) Data management.
“An Emergency Operations centre was also activated at the conference room of Central Public Health Laboratory in Yaba, Lagos, which also serves as the secretariat. WHO provided technical support and action plan was developed. The Port Health Services of the FMOH, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Aviation has put in motion mechanisms to track down all contacts at high risk.
“An isolation ward has been designated by the Lagos State Ministry of Health at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba for case management. The designation of three other health facilities is underway.”
The commissioner, who said that the government was decontaminating the First Consultants Hospital in Obalende where the Liberian was taken to during his illness, added that his body was decontaminated and cremated
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