Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu said yesterday
that the Federal Government was set to receive Nano Silver
trial drug for the treatment of Ebola Virus.
The drug which is used experimentally for many things, was
introduced by a Nigerian scientist. It will get to Lagos this
morning, he added.
Nano Silver 10ppm has been shown by the United States
Defence Department research to effectively inactivate/
neutralise the Ebola virus. It is said to be identical to the
silver used in the research.
The Silver solution (Nano Silver) has been shown to deal
effectively with Ebola virus. Every disease causing
organism against which it has been tested all around the
world has been killed (bacteria) or inactivated (virus), the
minister said.
Chukwu also announced that Nigeria is in touch with the
World Health Organisation (WHO) to have a buy-in on the
donated drugs by a Canadian firm.
The minister said: “What is new in their treatment is that a
Nigerian scientist has already offered the country one of the
experimental drugs, the Nano Silver. And, hopefully today,
that will reach the treatment centre. We followed the
protocol as governed by the National Health Research
ethics codes of this country in using the Nano silver as part
of the treatment. We are also in touch with the WHO to see
how we can have a buy-in in the experimental drugs that
have been donated to WHO. We are still in touch with
various centres in the world and, hopefully, more of the
experimental drugs would be available and vetted by our
own committee on research and control.”
Chukwu stressed that Ebola is restricted to Lagos, refuting
the report that the disease had spread to Enugu.
He explained that the Enugu case was that of the woman
nurse among those who attended to the late Liberian, Mr.
Patrick Sawyer who died of the diseas. She travelled to
Enugu against medical advice.
Chukwu noted that at the time she travelled, she did not
show any symptom and when she became symptomatic,
she went to a health facility and it was at that stage that
she was transported back to Lagos in a special ambulance.
He noted that with the stringent measures put in place, 15
of the 21 people placed under surveillance had been
cleared. Only six are placed under surveillance.
The minister said: “There is no Ebola Virus Disease in
Enugu. As at this morning (yesterday), there is none. All the
cases are still confined to Lagos State.”
The minister said as of yesterday, nobody among the
primary (direct) contact (with Sawyer) is under
surveillance.
Contrary to what family members of the victims said, the
minister said more than half of the eight people were
responding to treatment and doing very well, showing signs
of recovery.
He said: “As at this morning, 169 people are under
surveillance in Lagos. The number is going down now as all
the 169 are secondary contacts. We have completed the 21
days allowed for primary contacts and we have allowed
primary contacts who have not shown any sign to be. And
so, all the 169 people in Lagos right now are all secondary
contacts.
“In addition, we have six contacts in Enugu. As at
yesterday, we were following up on 21 of them, but after the
very stringent and rigorous interview, we found out that 15
did not qualify as contacts. Because people who probably
stayed far away were claiming to have made contacts. This
shows the amount of work that we are putting in.
“So, I repeat, surveillance in Enugu is six while in Lagos
169. The six in Enugu are all secondary contacts. There are
no more primary contacts under surveillance. The primary
contacts who are sick and been treated are eight, the
primary contacts that died were two and, of course, the
index case is late.”
The minister added that the husband of the nurse who went
to Enugu, though not Ebola positive, as of now, has been
quarantined because of their intimate contact.
He downplayed the possibility of her infecting anybody on
her way to Enugu, saying “ at that time she was yet to be
symptomatic and you can only infect people when you have
symptoms. The fact that she went by public transport posed
no danger to anybody. It took 10 days before she had the
first symptom in Enugu. But on her return journey to Lagos,
both of them travelled in special ambulances.”
Enugu State Commissioner for Health Dr. George Eze told
reporters yesterday that when the government got wind of
the nurse’s presence in Enugu, his ministry mobilised its
medical team with the help of a foreign expert sent from
Lagos, to return the nurse for continuous isolation .
He confirmed that the nurse arrived in Enugu without
symptoms of the virus but the symptoms developed later.
“She has since been returned to Lagos together with her
newly-married husband, and has since been isolated and
being managed in Lagos,” said Eze.
The commissioner said 21 persons in Enugu had been
placed under surveillance and not quarantined.
“These 21 people are still in their homes but are under
watch by the relevant authorities,” he stressed.
Four hospitals have been designated as quarantine centres
in Enugu State and are being equipped.
The hospitals are in Enugu, Nsukka , Ikem and Oji River.
The commissioner added that a mobile diagnosis
laboratory, which is at Irua in Edo State, will be moved to
Enugu State for proximity of testing for Ebola virus.
He described the type of Ebola virus in Nigeria as the Zaire
specie, which is very severe, and advised people to be
watchful and report any suspicious sickness as soon as
possible.
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