2 persons down with fever after contact with Liberian

Two persons out of those said to have gotten in contact with Patrick Sawyer, the dead Liberian Ebola victim; have been reported to be down with fever but testing negative to Ebola. Patrick Sawyer died of Ebola last week in Lagos after arriving from Liberia.

Making the disclosure on Friday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Jide Idris, said the two cases were under observation but stressed that they did not test positive to the virus.

He said all contacts with the victim, now 70 of them, would continue to be monitored until the end of the 21 incubation day period of the virus.

“Our Rapid Response Team is currently tracking all contacts of persons exposed to the dead passenger with Ebola virus,” he said. “The contact tracing team is following 70 contacts of the EVD case and linking them to clinical support when needed. Two suspect cases had fever, they are under observation and so far have tested negative to the virus.

The commissioner said an emergency operation centre had been activated in Lagos by the state and its partners as part of efforts to check the threat of the virus.

He added that the Federal Government had put in place measures to screen incoming passengers to Nigeria —through, airport, seaport and border crossing — to identify travellers with Ebola symptoms.