Nigerian Nurse Dies Of Ebola Virus, + FG Declares Ebola As A Case Of National Emergency.

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, speaking yesterday  August 6th at a news conference in Abuja said a Nigerian nurse has died from the Ebola Virus.

He said the nurse worked at the Lagos hospital where Liberian Patrick Sawyer was treated. He said she died Tuesday August 5th. He also revealed that five medical practitioners who interacted with Sawyer have been confirmed to have contracted the deadly virus

 "Nigeria has now recorded seven confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease. The first one was the index case, which is the imported case from Liberia of which the victim is now late. On tuesday, 5th August, 2014, the first known Nigerian to die of the EVD was recorded and this was one of the nurses that attended to the Liberian. The other five cases are currently being treated at the Isolation Ward in Lagos." he said .

The Minister noted that all Nigerians diagnosed with the disease had primary contact with the late Liberian man. He then announced the appointment of Prof. O. Onajole, of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, who will be based in Lagos, as the Director, Communication and Community Mobilisation for the Ebola Virus Disease.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has announced that the Ebola virus infection, is now a case of national emergency, and everyone is at the risk of contacting it.

Speaking with State House correspondence at the end of yesterday's Federal Executive Council meeting, the Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu said the Nigerian government has written to the Director of the United State Centre for Disease Control to request for the release of some of the unapproved ZMAG drug which has proven to be useful in the treatment of the Ebola disease.

He said the Federal government awaits a response from the United state government and hopeful if the drugs are released, they could be used to treat the confirmed cases of the Ebola virus disease in Nigeria.

The Minister advised Nigerians to avoid handshake as much as possible, stating that the virus is both contagious and infectious. He also said the virus could also be contacted through the sharing of bedspreads, pillow cases and towels among other personal effects with infected person.

He said the disease is not airborne but at close range of a 1meter from an infected person, the disease droplets can be transmitted. The Minister also revealed that Isolation tent for each confirmed case cost the government as much as N20million. As regards the corpse of a Nigerian brought in from Liberia last week into Anambra state which caused Ebola scare in the state, the Minister said thorough examination on the corpse showed the man did not die of the deadly disease.

For more info on the Ebola Virus, please log on to www.ebolaalert.org