By Jimitota Onoyume, Olasunkanmi Akoni, Austin Ogwuda, Luka Binniyat, Gabriel Olawale & Mayen Etim

The Ebola outbreak in Nigeria’s oil city, Port Harcourt, could spread wider and faster than in the financial capital, Lagos, the World Health Organisation has warned, even as the United States of America denied allegations that it declined to assist in controlling spread of the deadly virus in the country.

Rivers State. Governor of the state, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi

Warning of dire consequences emanating from arrival of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD in Port Harcourt, the global health body said the arrival of Ebola showed “multiple high-risk opportunities for transmission of the virus to others”.

Of the 255 people currently under surveillance for signs of the disease, the WHO said 60 were considered to have had “high-risk or very high-risk exposure.”

It lamented that until the Port Harcourt case was announced, the Federal Government had indicated that the virus was contained in Lagos.

Further, the WHO said the series of events from the trip by the ECOWAS official to the oil city was worsened by the infection of Dr Ike Enemuo who was taken to hospital on August 13 after his symptoms worsened but before that had “numerous contacts with the community”, including visits from family and friends to celebrate a birth.

“In hospital, members of his church visited “to perform a healing ritual said to involve the laying on of hands”, while “the majority” of staff treated him before his death, the WHO said.

“Given these multiple high-risk exposure opportunities, the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Port Harcourt has the potential to grow larger and spread faster than the one in Lagos,” it added.

US denies allegation of non-assistance

In a related development, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield denied the allegation that the US was not forthcoming to assist Nigeria, claiming that her country was ever ready to assist Nigeria, especially with the trial drugs.

“That is not correct; I think the Centre for Disease Control has proactively supported all the countries in the West African region in dealing with the situation. It is not about Zmapp. There were six doses of Zmapp available; they were all used.

“What is important is how to control the spread of the disease, and, that is exactly what is being done here in Nigeria; and efforts are being made to have the same kind of success in Liberia,” the American official stated.

The US envoy spoke during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu in Abuja, and said that the US and Nigeria were working assiduously to contain the virus in the country, noting that the efforts had been very successful.

“I commended the minister and his staff and the government of Nigeria on how effectively they have been working to deal with the Ebola outbreak here in Nigeria.

“They are taking the right steps to control this. And, they are having great success here. I appealed to the minister to assist neighbouring Liberia, Sierra-Leone as they also grapple with this terrible outbreak.”

Rivers confirms 2 patients at Ebola centre

Meanwhile the Rivers state Commissioner of Health, Dr Sampson Parker said only two patients, a positive patient and a probable case, were at the Ebola treatment centre in the state.

The Commissioner, who spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt said one of the patients, sister of the late Dr Iyke Enemuo was a confirmed Ebola case, adding that test results of the second patient, also a female would be released later in the day.

“Unfortunately, we lost a patient at the treatment centre in Port Harcourt. The patient at the Good Heart hospital with Dr Enemuo died. She was a cardiac patient at the Good Heart hospital before Dr Enemuo was admitted there. Her condition was complicated by Ebola. Dr Enemuo’s wife is stable. Anything you don’t hear from me or the Minister of Health, discard. Mrs. Enemuo is stable. “Next week we will complete the 21 days on them to be sure if they have the virus”, he said.

Parker said remains of the late Dr Enemuo had been buried in Port Harcourt in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation.

It’s Dengue Fever in Kaduna, not Ebola, says deputy gov

The 19 year-old Law undergraduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, suspected to have Ebola and under quarantine at the ABU Teaching Hospital, Shika, Zaria is free of the virus after all.

Deputy Governor of Kaduna state, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, told our Kaduna correspondent that the student is suffering from Dengue Fever.

Bajoga, who is the Chairman, Kaduna State Ebola Prevention and Control Committee said, “just as I told you about my doubt on the Ebola issue, I am happy to inform you that the result of the sample of the patient’s blood taken to a Lagos laboratory, came back this morning. The young man was negative of the Ebola virus. He however, tested positive for Dengue fever. I am told it is a very bad type of fever, but it is no where close to the Ebola virus.

“May I reassure our people that we are ever ready to contain any outbreak Ebola. And for now, and I pray forever, There is no single case of Ebola in Kaduna State. We are waiting for more brief on the Dengue fever and we shall act in the best interest of the public,” he said.

Scare at FMC, Asaba

Asaba, Delta State capital was hit by the Ebola scare yesterday when a woman suspected to be infected with the EVD was abandoned at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Asaba.

It was gathered that the suspect allegedly came in through the Asaba International Airport and was immediately rushed to the hospital but dumped in front of the emergency unit of the hospital.

Medical staff and patients took to their heels on sighting the patient as she was reported to be vomiting blood.

At the time of this report the woman was still lying outside the emergency centre vomiting blood.

A senior staff of the hospital told our reporter that it could be a suspected case of Ebola until tests are run.

“The problem is that FMC is not one of the isolation centres in the state. We are not equipped so what do you expect? Nobody wants to die,” he stated.

However, the state government has dismissed the claim by some individuals, especially traditional medicine practitioners and spiritual healers that they have found cure for the disease.

“These claims are completely false, untenable, dangerous and represent a threat to public health. It is hereby restated that there is no known cure yet for the EVD. The media, especially television and radio broadcast houses should refrain from promoting any claim of cure for EVD by any unorthodox medical practitioner. Any jingle and promotional programme claiming to have the cure for EVD should no longer be broadcast,” State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chike Ogeah said in a statement.

Lagos orders pipe-borne water for 600 public schools

As part of measures to prevent the likely spread of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, pandemic among pupils and students, Lagos State Government has directed the state water corporation to connect 600 public secondary schools to its mains supply of pipe-borne water.

State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, gave the directive at a sensitisation exercise on the Ebola virus for principals and head-teachers of public primary and secondary schools as well as proprietors of public schools in the state.

She also advised education stakeholders to inculcate in students the basic universal precaution of frequently washing their hands in the fight against the virus.

Oladunjoye who spoke through her Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo, said: “As a responsive and responsible government, the state government deemed it fit to put together this sensitization exercise in order to guard against the spread of the virus particularly, among our pupils and students. And for us to achieve overall success in containing the virus, it becomes imperative for us to organize this sensitization programme to educate ourselves so that whatever knowledge we garner can be used to stop the spread.”

“The lecture by our experts in the health sector on Ebola Virus Disease will go a long way in strengthening your knowledge base about the dreaded disease and assist us in taking care of the children under our care,” she stated.

8 possible treatments, 2 vaccines for Ebola – WHO

Eight experimental treatments and two vaccines for Ebola were on the table yesterday as 200 health experts met to discuss how to end the world’s worst-ever outbreak of the killer virus.

No fully tested and approved treatments or vaccines exist for Ebola, which has killed more than 1,900 people in West Africa since the beginning of the year.

In a working document for the closed-door meeting, the the World Health Organisation listed eight potential therapies, including the experimental drug ZMapp, which has been given to a handful of front-line health workers who have contracted Ebola, three of whom have recovered, and two of whom have died.