President Goodluck Jonathan has donated $3.5 million to the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to fight the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed on Monday.
The President had last week while declaring the EVD a national emergency in Nigeria, also announced an emergency funding to the tune of N1.9 billion to contain the spread of the disease.
Prof. Chukwu, while briefing newsmen in Abuja on the development regarding the deadly virus, said for the people who had direct contact with late Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian who imported the virus into Nigeria, the incubation period is now over but they are still being monitored.
According to the minister, “It has been 22 days since EVD first landed in Nigeria. As at today, 177 primary and secondary contacts of the index case have been placed under surveillance or isolation,” he said.
Adding that, “Nine had developed EVD, bringing the total number of cases in Nigeria to 10.
Of these 10, two have died (the Liberian American and the Nigerian Nurse), while eight are alive and currently receiving treatment,” he added.
The Minister also explained that those under surveillance have not shows any symptom now and are being visited daily.
According to Chukwu, the monitoring team visited 144 of those under surveillance to take their temperature and asked very necessary questions in line with the World Health Organization template.
Speaking on the use of trial drugs on Ebola patients in the United States of America, Chukwu said there was nothing wrong administering trial drugs on patients.
The minister explained further that just like in the United States, Nigerian research ethic code allows for the use of trial drugs under contingency but must be with the consent of the patient.
Chukwu said request for the trial drugs has been sent to about three countries and laboratories around the world, including the US, to see how these drugs could be deployed in Nigeria.
