How 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.