Ebola reaches Nigeria

First Ebola death in Nigeria

07/28/2014

Hundreds of deaths have already been reported in the West African states of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in the wake of the Ebola epidemic, and the first Ebola death is now also in Nigeria. In the Nigerian metropolis of Lagos, a man died of Ebola. This increases the fear of a further spread of the deadly disease.

The deceased is said to be according to the news portal „tagesschau.de“ A 40-year-old government official from Liberia, who flew in from Monrovia via Lomé in Togo to Lagos in Nigeria last Tuesday. This illustrates how high the risk of Ebola virus introduction by travelers is. In no time, the infected had flown to three different airports in three countries. At the airport in Lagos, he finally showed typical Ebola symptoms such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, reports the „daily News“ citing Nigeria's Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu.

Suspected Ebola confirmed in the laboratory
After the Liberian government official collapsed at the airport, the state health service immediately isolated and transferred them to a hospital, according to the Health Minister. There, samples were taken and sent to a special laboratory at the University Hospital in Lagos for analysis, which confirmed the suspicion of Ebola that same evening. Last weekend, the patient died as a result of the infection, after which the Minister of Health of the country was led to an explanation. Onyebuchi Chukwu's words are trying to reassure the people, emphasizing that he believes that everything is done by the authorities to prevent the spread of the Ebola epidemic.

Border control should prevent the spread of the epidemic
According to the minister, border control specialists are deployed at all border crossings to determine if travelers may be infected. In case of suspected fatal infectious disease, the isolation of those affected is promptly initiated. This also happened in the current case, so that the deceased did not have time to mix with people in Lagos. An infection of other people after arrival in Lagos, the authorities therefore consider unlikely. However, traveling passengers could have become infected, which is why the remaining passengers of the flights are now to be investigated. Even if no other people were infected with the deceased, the case illustrates how easily the Ebola epidemic can spread to other countries. If the viruses reach millions of metropolises like Lagos, an extension of the infections threatens far beyond the previous level.

Largest previous Ebola outbreak - end not in sight
The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is already the largest outbreak of this deadly disease, with around 1,100 World Health Organization (WHO) registered infections and 660 deaths. In the meantime, the center of the epidemic has shifted from the original outbreak of Guinea to Liberia. The health authorities and aid organizations come with the spread of infections increasingly at their limits. So had „Doctors Without Borders“ warned about a month ago that the Ebola outbreak was out of control. In particular, the reservations and fears of the population are causing considerable difficulties in containing the disease. The news portal „tagesschau.de“ writes that the population „For the protection against contagion a real cultural change demanded“ will. Therefore, the fight against the Ebola epidemic would be doomed to failure without comprehensive education campaigns. But also the hygienic conditions on site often leave much to be desired and, moreover, the assistants are exposed to a considerable risk of infection. Several nurses and doctors have already become infected. In Sierra Leone, even the chief virologist got infected with Ebola. Accordingly, an end to the epidemic is not foreseeable despite the efforts of national and international health care institutions. (Fp)