The doctor who treated late Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian who died from Ebola at a private hospital at Obalende in Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area of Lagos State has contracted the dreaded disease.
A female doctor, authorities refused to reveal her identity. Rather, they said three other people who came in contact with the Liberian are now quarantined after exhibiting symptoms consistent with the disease.
Speaking in Lagos yesterday, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, added that the state has established isolation and treatment centres to hospitalise the patients for strict surveillance.
“From our activities to stem the spread of Ebola virus in Nigeria, another patient has tested positive for the virus. The female doctor is one of the eight persons who were under critical surveillance and care for having contact with the late Liberian, Mr. Patrick Sawyer, who died after being infected by the virus.
“The state has established an isolation and treatment centre to hospitalise this patient. The staff at this Centre have also been trained on how to treat and handle the patients under their care. The hospital is also provided with enough facilities to ensure that the officials and other patients do not contact the virus.
“The patients under our surveillance were those who had personal contact with the late Liberian. And the Rapid Response Team, RRT, had been in communication with these patients who developed fever and other symptoms.
“We will not stop in tracking all those who had contact with the late Liberian. The contact remains in isolation until the confirmatory results are in and those who tested positive for the virus will remain in isolation until they are no longer infectious.”
