survival for patients of the deadly Ebola virus
disease in the country with the donation of an
experimental drug for treating the disease,
known as Nano- Silver.
At a briefing in Abuja, Minister of Health, Prof.
Onyebuchi Chukwu, informed journalists about
the arrival of the drug and confirmed that
another patient had tested positive to the
disease.
He did not name the donor of the drug. At
present, the minister said the number of persons
that had tested positive to the disease in the
country was 10, including the late Liberian.
"The fourth death recorded today [Thursday]
was a Nigerian nurse who participated in the
initial management of the index case," the
minister said the drug would be used according
to the World Health Organisation, WHO,
guidelines.
WHO had last week Tuesday approved the use of
experimental drugs to manage the virus which
currently has no approved vaccine or other
medication for its cure, prevention or treatment.
The drug from the scientist, Nano-Silva, the
minister said, "is something that has been used
experimentally on a lot of things. The only
experimental drug we have now is Nano-Silver,
provided by a Nigerian scientist; details of the
drug will be disclosed later to the media,"
Chukwu said.
Experimental drugs are used on animals and
other living organisms before getting approval
from the WHO for use on humans. He added:
"More information will come subsequently from
the technical people.
"As minister, I have just told you what we've
done because the drug is going to Lagos. Let it
get there. But, I can tell you, subsequent ones,
the technical people shall be briefing you on how
they are using it."
On the reported 21 contacts in Enugu, Chukwu
said: "The newly-married doctor, who was
among the medical officials that treated the
Liberian that imported the disease into the
country, Patrick Sawyer, went to visit her
husband in Enugu State."
He added: "The husband, even though he
doesn't have any symptom as at now, he is not
Ebola positive as at now, he is under quarantine
because of the intimate contact in Lagos. She
was going to Enugu; she did not infect anybody
because she was in-symptomatic.
.
"You can only infect people when you have
symptoms. So, the fact that she went by public
transport posed no threat to anyone. When you
don't have symptom, you don't infect anybody.
But on her return journey to Lagos, both of them
travelled in special ambulances.
"So, they did not have opportunity to
contaminate anybody from Lagos to Enugu.
"Presently, only six persons are under
surveillance in Enugu, down from initial 21."
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