Health officials in Sierra Leone have officially informed the ministry of health that two Nigerians living in Freetown have been diagnosed with the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
This was made known on Thursday, November 6, 2014, by the minister of state for health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan,during a press brief with journalists at the just-concluded National Council on Health Meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state’s capital.
According to him, the details of the two cases will be made available at the conclusion of the full investigation of their status.
The two Nigerians include a 27-year-old indigene of Abia state and while a 22-year-old indigene of Edo State.
He stressed that from the information available to the ministry, both Nigerians received treatment in isolation centres in Freetown, Sierra Leone, adding that one of them has been successfully treated and is technically cured, and has returned to Nigeria, according to reports.
Although the borders of the country will remain open according to the minister, the Ebola-struck nations are advised to strengthen their surveillance and quarantine network to minimise escape from such networks by people already put under surveillance to other Ebola-free countries.
Alhassan commended the proactive measures employed by Nigerian government and the entire residents to eradicate the dreaded virus from the country which prompted the World Health Organization to declare it an Ebola-free nation on Monday, October 20, 2014, after 48-day incubation period without any fresh case.
While revealing that prseident Goodluck Jonathan had donated $3.5million to combat the virus in the sub-region, the minister disclosed that over 600 health workers have been mobilized and trained by Nigeria to help fight the virus in affected West African sub-region under the leadership of ECOWAS.
Meanwhile, he disclosed that Nigeria had honoured the request by the Sierra Leonean government by donating drugs and supplies worth N50million.
