EBOLA: Health Workers Flee At General Hospital In Lagos
Information just coming in suggests that there was confusion at the Orile-Agege General Hospital, Agege area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria, on Tuesday, 12 August, 2014 when a patient was brought to the hospital with symptoms of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, EVD.
P.M NEWS reports that the patient, who was brought into the hospital in the morning, was bleeding all over his body and as a result, nurses, doctors and other patients in the hospital fled from him.
A source in the hospital, who did not want her name published because she was authorised to speak on the matter, informed that the patient had come to the hospital last week complaining of fever, but re-appeared on Tuesday with blood coming out from his body.
The source added that everybody in the hospital fled from the patient in order not to contract the deadly Ebola Virus.
A health official, who also craved anonymity, confirmed to newsmen that the case was reported at the hospital on Tuesday.
It was gathered that the authorities of the Orile-Agege General Hospital informed the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital about the patient, saying they did not have the wherewithal to handle the case.
It was learnt that the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital declined and called the State Ministry of Health officials who ordered that nobody should touch the patient as government was coming to pick him up.
Officials of the Lagos State Government, it was gathered, picked up the patient and the man who brought him to the hospital and took them away to be tested if the case was actually an Ebola one.
However, attempt to get the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris to confirm the incident proved abortive as his Public Relations Officer, Bosun Ogunbamwo, said he had gone to Abuja.
In a related development, reports stated that there was also panic on Lagos Island, western Nigeria, on Tuesday when a middle aged woman identified as Ada, slumped at CMS bus stop.
It was gathered that immediately the woman, who sells newspapers, suddenly collapsed on the road, people started running away from her thinking that she was a victim of Ebola virus.
The incident, according to eyewitnesses, was said to occur at about 6p.m as the woman was trekking along the road on Odulami Steet and suddenly collapsed on the major road.
The eyewitnesses said because of the outbreak of Ebola virus in the country, people refused to go near her to render assistance until people who knew her, including some newspaper vendors, arrived the scene to identify the woman as Ada and dispelled the rumours that she was a victim of Ebola virus.
It was gathered that sympathisers immediately started buying sachets water and pouring it on the collapsed woman's body.
She however did not regain consciousness, but was seen breathing faintly on the ground
The incident was said to attract a huge crowd who stormed the scene to catch a glimpse of the woman.
A vendor at the scene of incident, who claimed to know the woman as a vendor, said the woman habitually drinks local gin called 'ogogoro', and said each time she drank it in excess she would collapse and sleep on the spot for at least three to four hours before she would regain her consciousness.
“We have been talking to her to stop drinking the illicit gin, but she would not listen,” he said.
It would be recalled that Nigerian Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwuthe, stated on Monday, 11 August, 2014, that Ebola virus has killed no fewer than three people in Lagos, Nigeria.
Chukwu also added that there are 10 cases of the disease in Nigeria, stating that hundreds of other people are being monitored for traces of the Ebola virus.
On Wednesday, 13 August, 2014, an official of the Economic Community of West Africa States was reported to have died from the Ebola virus in Lagos, Nigeria.
According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, about 1000 people have died from the Ebola virus since the outbreak of the disease started in West Africa in February this year.
Source: Legit.ng
