The Lagos state government has affirmed that apart from the American experimental drug, ZMapp for the Ebola virus, no other drug is going to be used in the state in the treatment of Ebola patients in the state’s custody.
Revealing this to the Nation newspapers, Lagos state commissioner for health, Dr. Jide Idris also said as at Friday, August 15, 2014 it wasn’t clear if the drug was readily available for usage.
Dr. Idris added that the other drug, Nano Silver suggested to Lagos state government by the federal government, allegedly produced by a Nigerian scientist in diaspora is a natural health product and the state was in no mood to take any chances as to the quality of treatment administered to its patients.
The Nation reports:
“Should we have access to ZMAPP now, right away, we will start the administration on the patients.
![Dr. Jide Idris, Lagos state commissioner of health [Photo credit: govt. today]](https://www.thetrentonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dr-Jide-Idris-The-Trent.jpg)
“We are attending a meeting soon with the Task Force on Ebola to know if the ZMAPP drug is available as stated by the Federal government,”Idris said.
There was confusion at press time as to whether the Nano Silver drug, which the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said was expected to arrive Nigeria on Thursday, August 14, 2014 actually arrived as scheduled.
Findings by our correspondent yesterday showed that the country was yet to take delivery of the drugs.
It was gathered that the only thing that the country had received were personal protective equipment and some personnel who are in the country to train Nigerian health workers.
The country, it was gathered, was still expecting the drugs, which might come in any time next week.
Meanwhile, Idris disclosed on Friday, August 15, 2014 that First Consultant Hospital where the first case of EVD occurred would be reopened soon.
This, he said, followed the mandatory three rounds of state certified decontamination process.
He said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Clinic, was shut after the detection of a confirmed case of the disease at the facility.
He said the state would facilitate the decontamination process of the clinic, adding: “25 patients and health workers at the facility when the case was detected are presently under surveillance.”.
