President of Liberia, Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson has said that the Ebola
victim, Patrick Sawyer, was on surveillance, but he sneaked out of
Liberia and came to Lagos, where he died 24 hours later.
The Liberian President expressed concern over the unfortunate incident
and apologized to Nigeria on behalf of her countryman who brought the
virus to the country.According to the Minister of State on Foreign
Affairs, Mr. Nurudeem Mohammed, Sirleaf-Johnson told the Federal
Government that Sawyer was on surveillance when he sneaked out of
Liberia through Asky Airline.
Mohammed told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that Sirleaf-Johnson
had apologised to Nigeria over Sawyer's visit to Nigeria.The Liberian
Ambassador to Nigeria, Prof. AL- Hassan Conteh who participated in the
briefing of the International Community on Ebola, pleaded with the FG
to stop the embarrassment and stigma Sawyer's action had caused
Liberians living in Nigeria.Conteh said since the Ebola outbreak in
Nigeria, media and Port workers have discriminated and harassed
Liberians, and he called on the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi
Chukwu, to help save the situation.He said,
"The fact that the person who brought the disease was from Liberia
does not mean all Liberians were positive of Ebola Virus Disease."The
Liberian President had put measures in place by declaring 90 days
emergency in the country beginning from August 6 to strategize on how
to stop the spread of the disease to other countries."Meanwhile,
Chuwku has asked the International Community to take up the Ebola
challenge as a global issue rather than a regional matter, adding that
Ebola has high mortality rate over other diseases and therefore,
cannot be neglected by other countries in the world.Chukwu who
announced the deteriorating state of other health workers who had
contracted Ebola, urged the international community to assist Nigeria
in combating the menace.
According to the minister, the World Health Organisation, stated that
since July 24,2014, about 1700 are living with EVD and more than 900
had died.
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