- Panic in Enugu as Lagos-based nurse who had contact with Patrick Sawyer returns home
The Federal Government on Wednesday said a total of 198 persons are currently being quarantined for the Ebola Virus Disease.
While 177 are being quarantined in Lagos where the index case was reported, 21 persons are being attended to in Enugu.
Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to Maku, a nurse, who previously had contact with the Liberian Ebola patient, Patrick Sawyer, fled quarantine in Lagos, and returned to her home in Enugu.
This risky decision and her resulting contact with 20 other people, has put the government on high alert.
All those the nurse had contacts with, including her husband, are currently being quarantined.
The minister said, “All those who had primary contacts have been quarantined. Secondary contacts have also been traced.
“So far, the number of people that have been traced is 198. Out of this number, 177 are in Lagos. Some are in quarantine; some are being monitored by health specialists.
“21 persons in Enugu are also being watched. This is because one of the nurses that were involved with the treatment of the index case, unfortunately, disobeyed medical instructions and somehow travelled to Enugu.
“All those who she was in contact with including her husband are under quarantine. The medical team have been able to trace all those who made contact with her.
“Health workers are now in all our border units. All the entry points into this country and exit points, we have port health workers that are working in our airports and seaports.
“We are calling on citizens specifically to cooperate. If health workers say you have had contact with ABC, don’t move to anywhere, respect that judgement. It is very important.
“In one or two cases where we have had disobedience, we lost one of them and this one now moved with it to another place (Enugu). So we are urging Nigerians, please to help us in making sure that all these messages and appeals we are making on you, we implement them.”
