Two out of other five persons currently being treated of Ebola Virus Disease at the isolation ward in Lagos are now in critical condition, the Lagos State Government has disclosed.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, announced this to journalists at a press conference in Alausa. He appealed to religious bodies to cancel all forms of meetings and crusade that would involve large congregation in order to prevent the spread of Ebola.

Idris, who also confirmed the death of the nurse that attended to the Liberian Ebola victim, Patrick Sawyer, said the government is doing all that is necessary to care of those both in isolation and under critical situation.

“Based on contact tracing arising from the index case that came into the country from Liberia, a total of 70 persons were monitored and of these eight have been admitted and their blood samples taken. Result of five out of the eight blood samples taken have been received with four testing positive while the fifth was negative.”

The commissioner said government is challenged with getting the requisite infrastructure needed to address the developing situation, while noting that effort are still ongoing to address the situation.

Idris said with the development, volunteers are urgently needed, especially contact trackers, case management personnel, including doctors, nurses, environmental health workers, phlebotomists with experience and expertise in infectious disease control.

He assured that the government is willing to take care of such volunteers in the area of safety to personal health and life insurance cover.

“I once again allay the fears of health workers who have the requisite expertise needed to manage these confirmed and probable cases. The bottom line is that if we cannot provide the requisite quality and quantity of health workers needed for the management of these cases, outsiders would find it difficult to come in and help as is the case of scare human resource in health settings.

•Text courtesy of The Nation. Photo shows Ebola patient receiving doctors’ attention.

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