The minister of health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has revealed that Nigeria now has a total of 10 cases of the Ebola virus in the country while revealing that a total of 177 people are also under surveiilance as they are being monitored closely for the virus.

The minister disclosed this at a press briefing held today in Abuja with the objective of giving an update on the Ebola Virus Disease to Nigerians.

Giving a background of how Ebola was transported into Nigeria through Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian financial consultant, Chukwu said the National Ebola Virus Response Plan is in place in Nigeria and will contain the virus from spreading further.

According to him, “all the forty-eight passengers who had flown to Nigeria with the late Mr. Sawyer were traced through an elaborate contact tracing mechanism. Also, twenty two others (among whom, were the health personnel who treated the late American) were promptly identified, isolated and monitored for symptoms and tests of the EVD.

“Unfortunately, out of the initial 70 under both surveillance and isolation, 9 of them developed symptoms of Ebola and were confirmed to have EVD by the same laboratory at LUTH; tragically, one of them, a nurse, passed away on Wednesday the 6th of August, 2014.

Within the initial forty eight hours of the death of this first Nigerian from EVD, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan approved the National Ebola Virus Disease Emergency Containment Plan with an immediate cash backing of One Billion Nine Hundred Million Naira only (1.9Billion) which is about 12Million USD to further complement the containment efforts already in place. The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies, works very closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), Unicef, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local authorities and other international partners to further deepen and broaden these containment efforts. We shall single out the WHO and the CDC for special commendation for their understanding and continuous support in this challenging moment; particularly for the partnership and most importantly for the capacity building of our Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).”

Speaking further, he said “It has been 22 days since EVD first landed in Nigeria. As at today, 177 primary and secondary contacts of the index case have been placed under surveillance or isolation. 9 developed EVD, bringing the total number of cases in Nigeria to 10. Of these 10, 2 have died (the Liberian American and the Nigerian nurse) while 8 are alive and currently on treatment.”

The death of foremost historian and former vice chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Ade Ajayi , is dead.

Investigations  reveals that the late university administrator died at the University College Hospital in Ibadan on Saturday, August 9 but the news only filtered in today.

Ajayi, who enjoyed the respect of his peers, students and members of university circles, was renowned for his thorough researches and teaching which is believed to have established the foundation for the study African history.

According to a profile of the late scholar, “As an early writer of Nigerian and African history, Ajayi brought considerable respect to the ‘Ibadan School’ and African research.”

Born in Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State in the 1920s, Ajayi started his education at St. Paul’s School, Ikole, before proceeding to Ekiti Central School for preparation as a pupil teacher, after which he attended Igbobi College in Lagos.

He studied History at the University of Ibadan, before travelling abroad in the 50s to study at the Leicester University under the tutelage of Prof. Jack Simmons, a brilliant Oxford-trained historian.

In 1964, he was made Dean of Arts at the University and later promoted a deputy Vice Chancellor before he was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos eventually in 1972.

He was awarded the “Distinguished Africanist Award” by the African Studies Association in 1993 and many of his works include Yoruba Warfare in the Nineteenth Century; Christian Missions in Nigeria, 1841-1891: The Making of a New Elite and General History of Africa.

Several of his former colleagues including lecturers, administrators and students have started paying their tribute to the man highly regarded.

Information  says two new cases of the deadly Ebola virus in the country.

Information on the two new cases, confirmed by Federal Government officials at a press briefing today indicates that two new cases have been recorded in Lagos.

The two new cases brings the number of confirmed the ravaging Ebola virus to nine including that of the late nurse. Environews gathered that the nurse died as a result of her refusal to present herself to the authorities on time, meaning she was not among those quarantined after coming in contact with the late Patrick Sawyer.

Minister of health, Professor Onyebuchi Chuwku, who was in Lagos at the press briefing held at Yaba, Lagos to keep the public updated on developments concerning the rampaging Ebola virus, said a total of 139 people are under surveillance at present.

Among the 139 persons are 48 passengers who were on the Asky flight with the late Sawyer and others who came into contact with him from the airport to the hospital in the Obalande area of Lagos where he later died. The minister said all the passengers have been contacted and now under surveillance.

While describing the outbreak of Ebola in the West Africa sub-region as a “global emergency,” Chukwu called for the unity of the world in order to fight Ebola as it now poses a vicious threat to the African continent and the world at large.

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, on Friday paid an early morning inspection visit to the Isolation Ward prepared by the State Government for patients with symptoms of the Ebola Virus Disease, saying the facility is now set up and ready to use.

Mr Fashola who spoke in an interview with newsmen after inspecting some of the facilities at the Ward alongside the Commissioners for Health, Dr Jide Idris; Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed, and Special Adviser on Public Health, Dr Yewande Adeshina, added that he was also there to see the environment in which the health workers handling the situation were working and the level of preparation that they have and their level of protection.

According to the Governor, part of what informed his visiting the centre was because the State has a health challenge on her hands and the administration was concerned about the people in terms of their wellbeing and for the people who have taken leadership to help in containing it.

The Governor who interacted with some of the health workers met on ground expressed appreciation for the work they are doing.

Fashola who also expressed delight at the report that the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has called off its industrial action expressed the optimism that the members would come and sign up in the battle against the disease.

He emphasised that Ebola as devastating as its consequences can be is not an automatic death sentence, explaining that the consequences of death would depend on what is done and what is not done.

He stressed that there are already reported cases of patients who are recovering in other parts of West Africa and that the issue is about being able to respond to it appropriately and taking precaution.

“We are also taking precaution and that is also why we did not go into where the patients are because there is a very strict protocol for going there, so if you are going there, you must wear a fully protected gown,” the Governor said.

Fashola also said provisions have already been made so that there can be a separation of very critically ill people from people who are just showing symptoms but who need to be in isolation, adding that it is a very methodical process.

He reiterated his appeal to Lagosians and Nigerians that if they suspect anybody showing symptoms they should let the person report in the hospital in Yaba which is the Infectious Diseases Centre.

Fashola also used the opportunity to appeal to private hospitals to develop a first line of defence now such that if patients are turned in sick, the hospitals must assume and begin to take protection right from entry.

“They must isolate because we cannot do this alone. People are going to go to them sometimes before they are referred to us, so they must take the same precaution and defence and create isolation wards in their hospitals now for people they suspect might have the disease. Monitor, if they are all cleared, discharge and if they are not cleared, let us know immediately so that we can either come and pick or you move to us,” the Governor concluded.

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The Liberian ambassador to Nigeria, Professor Al-Hassan Conte’h, has spoken about the harassment and discrimination of Liberians living in Nigeria regarding the Ebola virus.

According to Conte’h, since the first case of Ebola brought into the country by Patrick Sawyer, Liberian not deceased, Liberians in Nigeria have been the subject of intimidation, harassment and stereotyping.

“I would like to appeal for the indulgence of Nigerian authorities. The attention of our embassy has been brought to several cases of harassment of Liberians, especially in Lagos and other places. This harassment bothers on stereotyping, and sometimes expressions of collective guilt,” Conte’h said on Thursday, during a media briefing organised by Nigeria’s minister of health, Onyebuchi Chukwu.

“I think as we combat this disease; I think we should put in our campaign against Ebola that association is not causation. It is not because the index case came from Liberia, so all Liberians have Ebola. We join you in this fight; Liberia is playing its part. But I like to appeal to you because there are law-abiding Liberians in Nigeria who have been harassed. The some derogatory remarks against Liberians are being made on radio and they have been brought to our attention,” he added.

The envoy said the Liberian president, Helen Johnson-Sirleaf has expressed sadness over the the introduction of Ebola by a Liberian to Nigeria, disclosing that the deceased and cremated Liberian was under surveillance in his native country over the virus but managed to find his way to Nigeria.

The dreaded and fast killing Ebola virus has led the World Health Organisation into declaring a global health emergency just as it appealed for global aid to help afflicted countries.

The declaration was made after a two-day emergency session in Geneva, Switzerland and it has grave implications as travel restrictions may be put in place to prevent the continuous spread of the ravaging virus that has claimed more than 900 lives in Africa.

The move, coming in the aftermath of US health authorities’ position that the spread of Ebola beyond countries badly hit in West Africa is “inevitable,” saw WHO director, Dr Margaret Chan appealing for greater international aid for the countries worst hit by the outbreak described as the most serious in four decades.

States of emergency have already been declared across overwhelmed West African nations, including Libera, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Soldiers in Liberia’s Grand Cape Mount province have set up road blocks to limit travel to the capital Monrovia while the towns of Kailahun and Kenema in the east of Sierra Leone were quarantined on Thursday as nightclubs and entertainment venues across the country were ordered shut.

Public sector doctors in Nigeria have also suspended a five-week strike with fears rising that the virus is taking hold in sub-Saharan Africa’s most populous country. The deadly tropical disease has already killed two and infected five others in Lagos.

Ebola has claimed at least 932 lives and infected more than 1,700 people since breaking out in Guinea earlier this year, according to the WHO.