By Hugo Odiogor, with Agency reports
Stunned by the entrance of the Ebola Virus Disease,
EVD, into America, the United States’ Center for
Disease Control and Prevention has despatched its
personnel to study how Nigeria contained the killer
disease.
The US reported on Tuesday that it has discovered
a case of EVD in Dallas, Texas, but its health
officials said “the crisis is under control and the
public has nothing to fear.”
A statement released by US CDC Director Tom
Frieden said “it’s clear the nation needs a quick and
thorough response to its first Ebola patient”
He said although Nigeria was not completely out of
the woods, “their extensive response to a single
case of Ebola shows that control is possible with
rapid, focused interventions.” Apart from Nigeria,
the US will also visit Senegal to study its model.
Frieden said “the best practices in Nigeria and
Senegal suggest the U.S. should monitor all
individuals who may have been exposed to Ebola
and establish a dedicated management and
response system.”
Senegal has had no new reported cases of Ebola
since Sept. 18 while Nigeria has not reported new
ones since August 31,
US health officials are expected in Nigeria which it
claimed had the best practices in combating Ebola
Virus disease which entered into Nigeria through
Liberian born American citizen Mr. Patrick Sawyer
whose index case was reported on July 20, 2014.
Nigeria is expected to officially announce today that
the remaining two potential Ebola patients will exit
the 21-day observation period.
How Nigeria stopped the spread of Ebola
According to US CDC, “Nigeria’s first reported case
of Ebola surfaced July 20, when Patrick Sawyer
landed in Lagos from Liberia and exposed 72 other
passengers to the virus. Nigeria’s Health officials
quickly issued notifications and tracked everybody
who may have been in contact with Sawyer.
“Nigeria also established an Ebola Incident
Management Center to handle the potential outbreak
and developed a staffing plan that executed a social
mobilization strategy that reached more than 26,000
households of people living around the contacts of
Ebola patients,”
The deadly virus has killed more than 3,000 people
in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia in the largest
outbreak ever recorded.
How Senegal contained Ebola
Senegal confirmed its first Ebola case Aug. 29 after
a man, travelling from Guinea on Aug. 14, took ill
and showed symptoms of the disease. This
prompted a quick response, including an
experienced and trained staff that was prepared to
contain the Ebola outbreak. The procedure led to the
identification of 67 contacts who were placed under
quarantine, monitored for 21 days and showed no
symptoms of Ebola.
Panic in America
The man who imported Ebola into US was found to
have travelled to Liberia without informing the
authorities and did not disclose the nature of his
ailment to the nurse that attended to him. Reports
from Texas yesterday said that the Nurse who
attended to the man has also taken ill for Ebola in
Texas.
A spokesman for Texas Health Presbyterian said
the patient had walked into a Dallas emergency
room on September 26, without knowing that he
contacted the deadly virus and left after he was
treated. He then returned to the facility on
September 28 where it was determined he likely
had Ebola and was isolated. He tested positive
Tuesday, health officials said.
Following the lapse on the part of the hospital
officials, questions are being asked amid panic
across the country. The CDC has thus advised that
all medical facilities should ask for patients with
symptoms consistent with Ebola for their travel
history.
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