59 on Ebola watch list

Lagos on red alert
ASky airline banned
Lagosians were told yesterday not to panic over the Ebola virus that has killed a Liberian in the city.
The state government announced drastic measures to prevent the dreaded  virus from spreading into the state and the country.

Last week, a Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer, flew into the commercial capital city aboard Asky Airline from Monrovia, carrying the virus.

The late Sawyer detected within 24 hours and isolated for treatment after tests revealed that he was carrying the virus that has killed over 672 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The high-risk patient died within 24 hours and his remains were cremated.

The government said yesterday that 59 people who had primary and secondary contacts with the late Sawyer had been placed on surveillance.

But Lagosians were urged to remain calm because the virus is not in the city as no Nigerian had contacted it.

Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris, who spoke to reporters, said the Liberian was billed to travel to Calabar for a conference but he took ill.

All contacts with him are to be actively followed, he said, adding that 59 contacts had been identified, but the contacts in the airline – those who travelled with the Liberian —have not all been found because the airline failed to release the manifest.

The commissioner said: “The airline manifest has not been provided at the time of this report and therefore, the precise number of passenger contacts is yet to be ascertained, especially as two flights were involved (Monrovia-Lome and Lome-Lagos). There was no report of a medical incident filed.”
The airline was banned yesterday from flying into Nigeria.

Idris, who addressed the news conference in concert with the Federal Ministry of Health, said part of the measures taken after the death of the Liberian was the demobilisation of the private hospital where he was admitted and elimination of primary source of infection. He said decontamination in all affected areas had begun.

He added that the body of the victim was cremated and the ash is awaiting further directives from the Liberian Embassy.