Good News: Another Nigerian survives Ebola infection

Minister Of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu 

The total number of confirmed cases of Ebola (including the index case of Patrick Sawyer) is now 13 and not the 14 initially announced, minister of health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, said on Monday.

The minister had identified the two new cases as the spouses of the healthcare workers who attended to Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who was Nigeria’s first index case.

But in a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, the minister said the outcome of further confirmation test showed one of the two new cases tested negative for the virus and has been promptly discharged.



Chukwu added that another patient in the isolation centre is now free of the virus after undergoing intensive treatment and would be discharged before Wednesday.

This, he added, will reduce the number of patients in the isolation ward to two from the initial four.

Nigeria has recorded five deaths so far from EVD, including the Late Patrick Sawyer who imported the EVD to Nigeria from Liberia.

“We have been able to manage and discharge five persons who had tested positive to the deadly virus, while the sixth person would be discharged within the next 48 hours,” said Chukwu.

“For each case that tested negative, we run further confirmatory tests to make sure that anybody that is labelled as EVD victim, is truly having the disease.

“The 14th case has turned out to be negative in terms of anaemia and symptoms, so that has now reversed number of EVD cases in Nigeria from 14 to 13 and that includes the index case (Sawyer).

“As at today, we have three patients receiving treatments in the isolation ward in Lagos but certainly, before Wednesday, one of them would be discharged because he has tested negative and we are now concluding his discharge process,” he added.