Nigerian ambassador, 3 ECOWAS staff, 55 others had contact with Lagos Ebola victim

59 people including the Nigerian Ambassador to Liberia, Chigozie Obi Nnadozie are said to have had direct and indirect contact with the late Liberian man, Patrick Sawyer, who died on Friday July 25th from the Ebola Virus in Lagos. 

At a Joint Ministerial Press briefing of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and Federal Ministry of Health on development concerning the disease yesterday July 28th, the state Commissioner of Health, Dr Jide Idris said out of the 59 people who had contact with the late Patrick Sawyer, 44 were hospital contacts (38 healthcare workers & 6 laboratory staff) and 15 Airport contacts comprising 3 ECOWAS staff-driver, Liaison, and Protocol officers, Nigerian Ambassador to Monrovia, two nursing staff and five Airport passenger handlers. Continue...

Dr Idris explained that out of the number, 20 contacts had been physically screened of which 50% are of the type one contact and another 50% had type two contact, adding that the airline manifest has not been provided yet.

"The Airline manifest has not been provided by the airline 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 statement read

Dr Idris stated categorically that only one case of imported Ebola and one death has been recorded in Lagos. He went further to state 

“No Nigerian is infected, but all contacts are being actively followed.  We call on all Nigerians to be calm and not panic and I do hereby assure them that both the state and Federal governments are up in arms to ensure that the virus did not escape and that no Nigeria is infected with this virus,” he stressed.

He said part of the measures taken after the death of the Liberian was the demobilization of the private hospital where he was admitted and elimination of primary source of infection and that the decontamination process in all affected areas has commenced.

He added that the corpse of the victim has since been cremated, and the ash is awaiting further directives from the Liberian Embassy.

"Adhering strictly to WHO guidelines, the body of the deceased patient was decontaminated using 10% sodium hypochlorite and cremated, with the permission of the government of Liberia. A cremation urn has been prepared for dispatch to the family. The vehicle that conveyed the remains was also fully decontaminated," he added.