Ebola: Government Medical Team To Visit Anambra

A medical team from the Federal Ministry of Health is due in Anambra State to examine a man believed to have died after contracting the Ebola virus.

The corpse of the victim, according to a source, was brought into the country from Liberia and deposited at Apex Hospital, Nkwelle-Ezunaka in Oyi Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that following information volunteered by a member of the public, officials of the Anambra State Ministry of Health visited the hospital at Nkwelle-Ezunaka, where the corpse of the victim was deposited.

Briefing newsmen after he led officials of the ministry to the hospital, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike confirmed that information was volunteered on the deposition of the corpse at the hospital, stressing that it could not be confirmed if the victim died of Ebola virus until full investigation and autopsy were carried out.

Dr. Akabuike said a team of medical experts from the Federal Ministry of Health is being expected in the state to carry out test on the deceased person.

He pointed out that staff of the hospital on duty have been quarantined to prevent them from having contact with other people as a preventive measure, adding that until full medical investigation is carried out, it would be premature to assume that the deceased was a victim of Ebola virus.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, has called for a quick resolution of the strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

Bishop Ezeokafor, while reacting to the Ebola scare, said it was important for striking doctors to return to work so as to be able to contain a possible epidemic.