EBOLA: NIGERIANS BEG OBAMA TO GIVE INFECTED LAGOS NURSE THE VACCINE

Nigerians on different social media platforms on Saturday asked President Barack Obama to give a vaccine, ZMapp, being developed in the United States to treat a Nigerian nurse, Justina Ejelonu, reportedly infected with Ebola.

 On such websites as Facebook and Twitter, the petitioners begged Obama to release the vaccine to Ejelonu and other Africans suffering from the virus. The petitions were made on the White House website. Ejelonu, who is one of those that were infected with the Ebola virus after treating the Liberian victim, Patrick Sawyer, has said she did not have direct contact with Sawyer’s body fluids. The deadly virus, which leads to death in humans within days from infection, is transmitted through sweat, urine, blood, and other fluids from the body. Ejelonu recounted her encounter with Sawyer in a report on a website, www.southeastnigeria.com.

 According to the website, she said she had checked his vitals and helped him with food because he was too weak, and that the mode of transmission could be from touching the same surfaces as the Liberian. She said, “I never contacted his fluids. I checked his vitals, helped him with his food (he was too weak). I basically touched where his hands touched and that’s the only contact — not directly with his fluids. “At a stage, he yanked off his infusion and we had blood everywhere on his bed. But the ward maids took care of that and changed his linens with great precaution. Every patient is treated as high-risk. If it were air borne, by now wahala for dey (there would have been trouble). I still thank God.” Ejelonu added that the workers’ uniforms and Sawyer’s bedding were burnt afterwards, saying the staff were under surveillance and off-duty till August 11. She said, “Our samples have long been taken by the World Health Organisation and so far, we have been fine. Kudos to my hospital management because we work professionally with every patient considered as high-risk — that’s the training.” The health worker noted that if it were a public hospital, the outcome might have been different, adding that she was however grateful to the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government for their support.

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EBOLA: FG , LAGOS DELEGATIONS VISITS PROPHET T.B JOSHUA TO AVERT SPREAD

As part of efforts to prevent spread of the
deadly Ebola virus disease into the country, a
federal government and Lagos State health
delegation yesterday visited the General
Overseer of the Synagogue Church of All
Nations, Prophet Temitope Joshua, to
explore ways of averting the spread of the
epidemic in the country.
In the meeting with the cleric, the delegation
led by the Lagos State Commissioner for
Health, Dr. Jide Idris, offered to work with the
health team of the church in the areas of
technical assistance, medical advice and
training to ensure that no victim of the deadly
disease came to the church from any of the
affected countries undetected.
Idris said the delegation decided to pay the
visit to the church because of the recognition
that the church is an International Christian
Centre whose congregation comprise people
from all over the world, including the
countries of the West African sub-region
where the Ebola disease is presently ravaging
the populations.
He said the visit is one governments strategy
of sensitizing faith-based organizations on
the need to cooperate with the government
to prevent the spread of the disease in the
country, by educating their adherents to
report health issues to medical experts.
The commissioner explained that the federal
and the Lagos State government are working
hard on how to prevent a spread of the vi rus
into the country
Idris said the delegation felt that because the
church had some people from the West
African sub-region as members and because
of the influx and population of the
congregation there might be need to check
and also raise the awareness level on the
disease in the church.
He said, We have our strategies that we
intend to share with you. Again we need to
know the resources you have here because
whether it is one or two cases, if they are
allowed to get out, it is a major problem. We
are here to work together on how to contain
this disease.
Also speaking, the director, Centre for
Disease Control, Professor Abdulsalami
Nasidi, said that the visit was to inform the
Synagogue leader of the deadliness of the
Ebola virus and to ensure that it does not
escape into the country.
He added that it had become such a big
problem in the sub-region that it was already
affecting the economies of the countries
involved.
Nasidi, an epidemiologist and virologist,
described the visit as a positive engagement
mission. We are here to engage you
positively. We know the powers of this House
and your powers and we are duty-bound to
protect you and your congregation, he said.
He particularly singled out the countries of
the West African sub-Region Liberia, Sierra-
Leone and Guinea as the greatest worry of
the Government at the moment because they
are the countries that have already been
affected by the deadly disease.
In his response, Prophet Temitope Joshua
promised to work with the government to
ensure that the disease did not spread into
the country.
The cleric revered for his healing powers said
he would put some measures in place to
ensure that people from the already affected
countries do not enter Nigeria.
One of such measures, he said, is to visit any
of the countries when necessary rather than
allow their residents come into Nigeria.
He also promised to suspend some of his
major Church healing programmes for a few
weeks adding, I am ready to work with you. I
love my country and I will be ready to work
with you. Even if it is a rumour, there is need
to secure our environment to ensure that it is
safe.

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BODY OF EBOLA VICTIM CREMATED IN LAGOS

The body of the first victim of Ebola Virus Disease
in Nigeria, who died in Lagos on Friday, has been
cremated. Details of the cremation were not
available at press time but Sunday Vanguard
gathered
that the eveny was witnessed by officials of the Lagos
State Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for
Disease Control, NCDC, led by its Project Director,
Professor Abdulsalam Nasidi, among others.
The decision to cremate the body of the victim, it was
further gathered, may not be unconnected with the
deadly nature of the Ebola Virus which is known to be
easily transmissible from human to human during
handling of corpses of victims.
The World Health Organisation recommends that in
communities where there is an outbreak of Ebola,
appropriate containment measures including burial
of the dead should be properly handled.
While stating that people who die from Ebola should
be promptly and safely buried, WHO? Notes that
cremation, which is the application of high
temperature to reduce bodies to basic chemical
components (ashes)? Is ideal for safe disposal of
bodies of persons who die during outbreaks of highly
infectious diseases such as Ebola Virus in order to
minimise further transmission.
In 2013 the Lagos State Government introduced its
Voluntary Cremation Law under which a person may
signify interest to be cremated at death or a
deceased's family members who must attain the age
of 18 years, can decide to have the corpse cremated.
Under the law the state government can also cremate
unclaimed corpses in its mortuaries after a period of
time and the ashes disposed after a 14-day notice
with approval of the Commissioner for Health.

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