Ebola: OAU Student quarantined in Lagos

The female student of Oabafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife who was suspected to have contracted the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has been quarantined in Lagos until result of tests on her are out.

Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, made the confirmation Wednesday night through a statement issued by his spokesman, Dan Nwomeh.

The student, whose name was not disclosed was said to have had contact with Ikechukwu Enemuo, the Port Harcourt-based doctor who died of the virus. The minister said the student came in contact with Enemuo at a naming ceremony.

On the current situation on the virus outbreak in the country, Chukwu said the total number of confirmed cases of EVD in Nigeria is 19, out of which Lagos had 15 while Port Harcourt had four.

Out of those 19, 12 survived while 7 died since its outbreak in the country in July. The minister said there is currently no confirmed case of the disease in Nigeria.

He however added that16 contacts are still under surveillance in Lagos, a reduction from 350 people who have been discharged after completing the mandatory 21 days observation, thus testing negative for the virus.

He said 490 contacts are under surveillance in Port Harcourt. They are a mixed group of the tertiary and quaternary contacts of the Liberian American, Patrick Sawyer, who brought the virus to Nigeria in July. Sixteen of those in Port Harcourt have, however, been discharged.