Association,Lagos State chapter when the association's Chairman, Dr.
Tope Ojo, disclosed that the matron of the hospital where the
Liberian-born American, Patrick Sawyer, was admitted for treatment was
showing symptoms of Ebola virus.
The matron is one of the health workers at the Obalende, Lagos
hospital who attended to Sawyer before he died of the disease (Ebola)
on July 25..
A female medical doctor, who also participated in managing the
Liberian- American was confirmed on Monday by the Minister of Health,
Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, to have contracted the deadly virus.
Apart from the female medical doctor and the matron, six other people
suspected to have been infected with the virus are being quarantined
at the IDH, Yaba.
Ojo, who added that 30 striking doctors had volunteered to attend to
the medical needs of all those with Ebola-related case, stated that
the female medical doctor was stable.
He said, "We know that the infected doctor is stable, however, the
matron is showing symptoms too. But everybody, including the experts
from the World Health Organisation, are doing all they can.
"Strike or no strike, we must respond to emergencies. Our doctors are
at the Yaba hospital where isolated contacts are being monitored."
Ojo however said the NMA was having a challenge getting volunteers
to be part of the Ebola Case Management Committee because of the fear
of contracting the virus.
The NMA chairman said, "There are seven committees working on the
management of the disease at the centre in Lagos which our members are
part of.
" But the committee which we are having a challenge getting volunteers
is that of case management. This committee comprises people that
work directly with confirmed cases.
"Our doctors are worried about the danger it(Ebola virus) poses to
their lives and they need to be reassured.
"We understand their fears and we are making moves to confirm the
level of preparedness of the government for doctors."
He stressed the need for the government to put adequate measures in
place to assure health workers of their safety in stemming the virus.
" Look at the protective measures that doctors in Liberia and Guinea
wear. They are well protected, yet some of them still caught it," Ojo
said.
A doctor in one of the committees, Dr. Babajide Saheed, said they
were working closely with WHO and other stakeholders to contain the
spread of the virus.
Saheed said," Not all doctors can attend to an Ebola patient. In fact,
you must limit the number of health workers treating affected persons
just to contain the risk.
"We will be escalating the situation if doctors rush to the Mainland
hospital to attend to patients."
A top official of the IDH said the Lagos State Government should
designate one of its hospitals to accommodate more persons that might
be isolated for monitoring.
"The mainland hospital may not be enough if we are to isolate more
persons who had contact with Sawyer and those who have had direct
contact with those people too," he added.
He said that " instead of using a ward in an hospital, it is better to
just designate a whole hospital and evacuate patients from it."
TheBloombergBusinessweek reported on Tuesday that Nigeria was
considering applying for a dose of the experimental Ebola therapy to
treat the Lagos female doctor.
"We will exploit the possibility of getting some (ZMapp Experimental
Drug)," the Lagos State Health Commissioner, Jide Idris, said.
The San Diego, United States-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc.'s
experimental ZMapp drug had only been tested on infected animals
before it was given to Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, the two U S
health workers who were infected with the virus in Liberia.
Airline's manifest with FG, says LASG
Also on Tuesday, the Lagos State Government said Asky Airline had made
the full manifest of passengers on its flight KP50 available to the
Federal Government.
The flight had brought the 40-year-old Sawyer into Lagos via the
Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The state government had last week said it could not give the precise
number of passengers in the flight since the airline had not made the
manifest available.
However, the Health Commissioner , Dr. Idris, said on Tuesday that
the Federal Government had the list.
No comments:
Post a Comment