The Federal Government has allayed fears while debunking rumours of another Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) incidence in Nigeria, following the rumour of a suspected outbreak in Cross River State of a 21 year-old-male student of the University of Calabar..
Speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja over the rumours of an outbreak, the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute, stated, “The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) hereby confirms that there is no Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria, and thus Nigeria remains Ebola- free.
Meanwhile, the victim was said to have been admitted in the casualty ward of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital by the mother and other family members with bleeding, diarrhea, vomiting, skin rashes and mouth lesions. His temperature on admission was 37 degrees centigrade and his vital signs were stable.
The parents said that the patient had never travelled outside Calabar. On the basis of the signs and symptoms, a tentative diagnosis of viral hemorrhagic fever, to rule out Lassa fever was made. Some of his family members, especially the brother and sister are said to have a history of chicken pox in the last one week, prior to his falling ill.
The patient was treated with antipyretics and antibiotics during the course of illness and received intravenous fluids. Sadly, at exactly 8:15am, 7 hours post-admission, the patient passed on.
The death created panic among the medical team that attended to him, 15 health workers and eight (8) patients who had direct or indirect contact with the diseased quarantined. Other hospital workers were provided with thermometers to monitor their temperature twice daily.
