The Nigerian Institute of Medical
Research (NIMR ) has warned that
infected men who have recovered
from the killer Ebola virus disease
( EVD) can still transmit the virus
through their semen for up to seven
weeks after the recovery.
Director General of the Institute ,
Innocent Ujah , gave the warning on
Thursday at a one - day sensitisation
programme on the EVD at the Lagos
State University (LASU ).
Ujah , whose presentation was titled ,
‘ Clinical features and management of Ebola virus Disease ’, stressed that men who have recovered from the
illness should abstain from sexual
intercourse till about eighth to ninth
week of total recovery .
“ Men who have recovered from the
disease can still transmit the virus
through their semen for up to seven
weeks after recovery from illness.
“ Any man that has recovered from
the Ebola disease should wait for
eight to nine weeks after recovery
before having sexual intercourse , in
order not to transmit the virus to
another person , ” he counselled .
Ujah , a gynaecologist , said NIMR was
aware that the virus is coming and it
has started preparing for it , adding
that the institute is preparing to
upgrade its facilities to take care of
the disease and other deadly ones.
He reiterated that there is no definite
therapy or vaccine against Ebola ,
noting that Nigerians have never paid
sufficient attention to infectious
diseases like this.
Ujah added that this is the first time
Nigerians have responded to
emergency .
Also , Adeyeye Arigbabuwo , whose
presentation was entitled , ‘ EVD in the
community : The myths and
prevention ’, stated that myths refer
to a lot of rumours, beliefs ,
perception from ordinary taboos ,
culture- guided understanding ,
sentiments and at some extreme ,
hard views that may not have
scientific backing but being peddled
around to create scare or fear with or
without deliberate intentions.
According to him , examples of myths
around Ebola recently include the use
of salt in water to bathe for reduction
of Ebola virus chances of
infectiousness , the chewing of bitter
cola in large quantity to prevent
contagiousness of Ebola virus and the
consumption of some daily quantity of
condensed milk to prevent Ebola virus
attack among others .
He stated that in breaking these
myths, “ it is good to note that Ebola
virus is the cause of Ebola virus
disease ” .
“ It is when we come in contact with
an infected living person or dead
corpse and we have contacts with
either their body fluids or secretions
like blood, vomiting, stool, saliva,
sweat etc that we are likely to be
infected , ” Arigbabuwo said .
On its part, the Nigerian Academy of
Science (NAS ) has offered to support
government ’ s efforts in containing the
spread of Ebola virus in Nigeria.
But it said the country could
effectively tame the highly infectious
disease only if certain measures are
taken .
President of the academy , Oyewale
Tomori , in a statement on Thursday
said the institution remains optimistic
that Nigeria was capable of controlling
the outbreak of the disease if the
available human and material
resources are maximally deployed .
The academy said the outbreak of
EVD is a wake - up call for Nigeria to
optimise its science and technology
research potential in solving common
problems .
“ The outbreak of EVD has shown the
importance of science and technology
as the pillars of any sustainable
economic development.
“ Priority must be given to science and
technology , and especially to funding
research and ensuring a conducive
environment for scientists in this
Nigeria, ” Tomori noted .
The academy hailed the response of
the government at both state and
federal levels to the outbreak , which
it said , has received encouraging
support of international development
agencies , and local professional
associations and institutions .
The academy also had some words
for the media.
“ Ebola control involves critical
management of the information in the
public domain . The press must be
actively engaged as critical
stakeholders to ensure accurate and
appropriate information
dissemination . ”
To the public , it said : “ The public
need not panic but should rather fully
cooperate with the appointed health
authorities .
“ The EVD is a deadly disease but
patients stand a good chance of
survival if taken in early for
supportive management .
“ The Nigerian record of the number of
patients already discharged from the
Ebola Treatment Centre strongly
supports this. ”
Also , the Federal Road Safety Corps
( FRSC ) has provided necessary
protective devices to its officers and
men against the EVD.
Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of
the FRSC , Boboye Oyeyemi,
distributed the devices at a strategic
session with commanding officers of
the corps in Abuja .
Oyeyemi explained that protective
tools such as sanitizers, gloves, gabs ,
nose guards, and clinic gowns among
others were provided for the
personnel .
He added that the move became
necessary because the officers were
constantly in contact with other
people in the course of their
operations .
“ As a public - facing government
agency , the Corps ’ operatives are in
constant contact with victims of road
crashes in the course of rescue
activities and also offer medical
services to members of the public at
our road side clinics located along
strategic routes of the highways ,
hence the need to make these
provisions in order to safe guard our
personnel from unforeseen
circumstances tied to the Ebola Virus
Disease ( EVD), ” he said .
National Orientation Agency ( NOA) in
Bauchi State has similarly embarked
on grassroots public enlightenment on
how to prevent the disease from
spreading to the state .
State NOA Director, Jummai Bello ,
stated this while addressing journalists
in Bauchi on Thursday.
She said the agency would not fold its
hands and allow Ebola virus come
near the state , noting that the
campaign against the disease was a
collective effort.
From Osun State came a report that
organisers of the annual Osun Osogbo
Festival have insisted that the event
will hold as planned in spite of the
fear of Ebola .
The grand finale of the 2014 edition
of the festival will hold today.
The Medical and Dental Consultants ’
Association of Nigeria ( MDCAN) ,
Ladoke Akintola University of
Technology Teaching Hospital
( LAUTECHTH), Osogbo branch, had in
a statement on Wednesday called for
the postponement of the festival .
? The association cautioned that large
gathering of any kind should not be
allowed at the moment in the state ,
when the country was still struggling
to contain the spread of the Ebola
virus . ?
? But addressing a press conference in
Osogbo on Thursday , Ayo Olumoko ,
Chief Festival Consultant to the
organisers of Osun Osogbo , said the
call for shift of the event was
unnecessary , since both Muslim and
Christian gatherings have not been
stopped because of the rampaging
virus . ?
? Olumoko said there were also
insinuations that the Federal
Government may stop the festival to
prevent the spread of the virus into
Osun State, adding that while Osogbo
community would not defy any order
by government aimed at containing
the virus , it would be unfair to stop
the festival , after almost two weeks of
different activities .?
? He , however , added that though no
agency of government has
approached the organisers of the
festival with the proposal to stop its
grand finale.
He assured that the Osogbo
community would cooperate with
government to ensure a hitch free
festival today .
Rivers State Government also said it
was at full alert to arrest the Ebola
virus in the event of its entrant into
the state .
The government it important be on
red alert in view of Rivers State ’ s
proximity to Liberia and other
affected neighbouring countries on
the western coast .
It added that it was easy for any
affected patient from the ravaged
countries to run to Nigeria through
the sea route.
State Commissioner for Health ,
Samson Parker, said in Port Harcourt
on Thursday that though government
was not afraid of the disease in terms
of tackling it , there was no reason for
anybody to panic.
Parker reminded residents of the
state that the same government
which effectively handled the
outbreak of the Lassa fever will
equally tackle the Ebola virus if it is
reported anywhere in the state .
“ Rivers State Government is on alert .
There is a need also to sensitise,
educate and inform the public , but
not to panic them on the seriousness
of the Ebola deadly virus .
“ This is exactly what the Rivers State
Government is doing because we
have a very functional healthcare
system in the state , ” the
commissioner said .
Ekiti State Commissioner for Health,
Olusola Fasubaa, on the other hand
has urged medical doctors and other
health workers in the state to desist
from spreading panic messages about
the Ebola virus through the internet .
Briefing newsmen in his office in Ado-
Ekiti on Thursday, Fasubaa said “ the
wicked messages had regrettably led
to death of non - Ebola patient in the
state ” .
The commissioner particularly
regretted the death of a health
worker from Ogotun- Ekiti who had
come to the state capital for an
official assignment but slumped .
Fasubaa explained that the alleged
unprofessional conduct of some
medics in Ado- Ekiti hospitals led to
the eventual death of the 60- year- old
woman .
“ On 20th August, 2014 , a 55 - 60 year-
old health care giver at Ogotun - Ekiti
who was said not to have had any
complaint of illness in the last two
months and no current history of
travel outside the state (according to
her neighbours) got to the data bank
of the Ministry of Health at about
1 .00 p .m . and collapsed after
coughing out blood and subsequently
vomited and she was immediately
tagged Ebola victim without an
adequate history taken, and people
started running away , ” Fasubaa said .
He spoke of how four different private
hospitals rejected the patient due to
SMS messages allegedly sent by some
doctors , suggesting that it was an
Ebola case.
“ The woman subsequently died in the
late evening . The unnecessary write
up through the social media by some
doctors in the state is uncalled for , as
it seemed to be counter productive to
the efforts of the state government in
containing and curtailing the spread
of the virus , ” the commissioner
added .
He said the ministry would soon liaise
with the family of the deceased with a
view to knowing the actual cause of
her death , urging the medics to
always think of common diseases in
the community “ and by so doing we
shall prevent unnecessary death in
Ekiti ” .
Ogun State Government on its part
has postponed the resumption date
for all primary and secondary schools
in the state earlier scheduled for
September 15 to a date to be
announced later .
State Commissioner for Education ,
Science and Technology , Segun
Odubela , disclosed this in a statement
on Thursday .
He said this was in response to the
Federal Ministry of Education ’ s
directive that schools in the country
should put resumption for 2014 /2015
on hold to curb the spread of the
EVD .
Odubela urged parents and guardians
to take proper care of their children
and wards by monitoring their
movement and engaging them in
academic activities .
Source:NigeriaCamera
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