Early symptoms of disease include fever, headache, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache, and joint pains. Later symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, bleeding from the mouth and rectum, eye swelling, swelling of the genitals and rashes all over the body that often contain blood. It could progress to coma, shock and death
July 25, 2014 – The Lagos State Government has confirmed that test carried out on the Liberian, Patrick Sawyer who was diagnosed in the State has revealed him to be a carrier of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris who spoke at a press conference confirmed that the patient has died. “The Patient we had died and ever since, we tried to sanitize the hospital and dispose of the body properly”, he said.
The commissioner added that since it has to do with Liberia, the Federal Government is in touch with the Liberian government on modalities for disposing the body.
“Patient tested positive for Ebola, we waiting for result of definitive test from Dakar. But he tested positive to Ebola until further notice”, he said adding that the Hospital in Obalende did the right thing, by informing the ministry and that it would have been worst.
In the meantime, he said the state government is currently on the trail of those that flew into Lagos with Patrick Sawyer to carry out appropriate test but that his fellow travelers are now in Calabar.
He said the Nigerian Airport Authority is working on the flight manifest to be able to contact those who travelled with Sawyer, adding however that they will not be quarantined.
He said government is also working with the ports and the borders to make sure that the virus does not spread beyond what has been obtained so far. He said all the relevant agencies including the Centre for Disease Control(CDC) in America and that Lagos has set up screening centres for probable cases of the disease.
“CDC has steeped in to volunteer, UNICEF has stepped in we have contact screening centre set up we have Federal Ministry of Health assisting us with laboratory. All stake holders are involved. We are confident that the step we have taken will stop further propagation of the disease”, he assured.
Also speaking, Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Yewande Adesina pleaded with members of the public not to spread scary message so as not to cause panic.
“We have everything under control “, she said, stressing that Nigerians must cultivate the habit of hand washing.
“Proper hand washing is necessary, if you know anybody who has traveled to Liberia where the virus is establish report to us, we will set up treatment centre for probable symptoms”, she said and called on Nigerians to call the following numbers: 08023169485; 08033086660; 08033065303; 08055281442; 08055329229 if they see patience with symptoms of the ailment.
“Early symptoms of disease include fever, headache, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache, and joint pains. Later symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, bleeding from the mouth and rectum, eye swelling, swelling of the genitals and rashes all over the body that often contain blood. It could progress to coma, shock and death”, Adeshina explained.
