The Ebonyi state government on Saturday, September 6, 2014 rebuffed reported claims of an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the state.
There was panic in the South Eastern state following rumours that a patient with the virus was at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki prompting doctors, nurses and other patients to flee the hospital premises.
According to a report by The Nation, a doctor in the hospital had raised a false alarm while treating a patient who exhibited symptoms of the virus.
The doctor who raised the alarm did so following his investigation that the female patient had recently come into the state from Port Harcourt in Rivers state, which had recently recorded cases of the deadly virus.
An unnamed doctor from the hospital who spoke with The Nation confirmed that he had left the hospital after the incident but did not believe it was Ebola, as it had not yet been confirmed.
Reacting to the rumours, Ebonyi state commissioner for health, Dr. Sunday Nwangele stated that the report was false, telling the public to disregard it as the patient was suffering from peptic ulcer and not Ebola virus as earlier reported, reiterating government’s readiness to handle any outbreak of the virus in the state.
He said, “False alarm, it is rather a case of peptic ulcer, disregard the alarm, there is no Ebola Virus Disease in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.”
“Meanwhile, Government of Ebonyi State, through the State Ministry of Health, the Rapid Response Team and Treatment Committee are by His Grace ready to handle issues of Ebola Virus Disease in the Ebonyi State.
“We will also continue to enlighten the entire public to comply with universal precautions as already established which include hand washing, use of sanitizers, restriction of travels to Ebola virus-affected destinations, restriction of conveyance of corpses, minimise contacts with people, etc.”
