New reports circulating have revealed that Liberian Diplomat Patrick Sawyer, the man credited with ‘importing’ Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to Nigeria, ‘knew he was sick’ with the virus before coming into the country. Before his death in Lagos, it was said that his destination was Calabar, but he died before he could get there.
In fact, he was also advised by the Liberian Health Ministry not to travel out of the country but he ignored the instruction. He then flew to Nigeria and died here transmitting the virus to Nigerian medical personnel who offered medical services to him.
This new development was disclosed by the Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, at an emergency meeting convened by the House of Representatives Committee on Health over the Ebola outbreak.
Onyebuchi at the event which dragged on for hours described the Ebola outbreak in the country as a ‘national emergency,’ just as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the death toll in West Africa has risen to 932.
Speaking at the event, Project Director, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Prof. Abdulsalami Nasidi, disclosed that 70 Nigerians were currently under surveillance for the disease.
Nasidi disclosed that Sawyer had 70 primary and secondary registered contacts of which 39 were hospital contacts and 22 airport contacts.
Sawyer’s contacts, it was disclosed comprised officers of the State Security Service (SSS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), airport support personnel and medical personnel that attended to him.
As part of ongoing efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, the Director, Port Health Services in the Health Ministry, Dr. Sani Gwarzo, disclosed that restrictions have been placed on the repatriation of corpses of Nigerians abroad into the country.
Gwarzo said 66 personnel were required by the health ministry to man and screen travellers at the country’s several travel entry points.
At this point, we begin to wonder if it was an intentional act by him to spread the virus as far as possible .
