Disquiet as Kaduna awaits result of first suspected Ebola victim

By: Luka Binniyat

 Kaduna state was gripped in anxiety Wednesday as the result of the test on its first suspected Ebola victim was being awaited.

The issue of the disease was the major focus of public discourse with many praying hard that the results turns negative.

Our Correspondent who was at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, a community in the outskirt of Zaria town, saw security operatives guarding the patient at his isolated ward. He was isolated in one of the private Hospital wards of the hospitals, and no person was allowed near him except medical staff looking after him.


People spoke in hush manners in small crowds far from the ward.

But, it was business as usual, with patients and medical workers going their normal activities. None of the top management staff was ready to speak to Vanguard on the victim, citing the sensitive nature of the matter.

Speaking exclusively to Vanguard , Kaduna state, Deputy Governor, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, who is the Chairman Kaduna State Ebola Prevention and Control Committee, said that information available to him was yet to confirm that the 19 year old Law undergraduate of ABU, who is suspected of having the various may turned out to be something else.

“He has not traveled anywhere near Lagos or the South. The only place he has been of late was the North East.
“Kaduna state is on top of the situation as we already have on ground trained personnel and the facilities needed to contained any outbreak. There is no need to panic”, he said.

Also Kaduna State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Thot Dogo, who spoke to newsmen shortly after attending the State Exeutive Council meeting at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna said the Lagos Laboratory where the blood sample of the patient was taken to was yet to release the result of the test.

The Commissioner stated this just as the Chief Medical Director, CMD, of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Khalid Lawal denied receiving an ebola patient in the hospital.

He said there was no iota of truth in the reports that a 19 year old student of the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was admitted because he was suffering from the dreaded disease.

The quoted the CMD as saying, “I can’t confirm it because we don’t have any test result. We are not taking chances but it is unlikely.”

The Commissioner insisted that contrary to media report that the result suspected ebola at the ABUTH has been confirmed to be negative, the Lagos laboratory where the blood sample was taken to for test is yet to release the result.

The delay, he said was largely due to long queue of samples in the Lagos Laboratory, expressing hope that the result would come out today (Thursday).

He assured the people of the state not to panic as the government was on top of the situation.

Culled from www.vanguardngr.com