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Nigeria says it has put all entries into the country on red alert
after confirming the death of a Liberian man who was carrying the
Ebola virus. The man died after arriving at Lagos airport on Tuesday,
in the first Ebola case in Africa's most populous country.
Surveillance has been stepped up at all "airports, seaports and land
borders", says Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu. Since February, more
than 660 people have died of Ebola in West Africa – the world's
deadliest outbreak to date. It began in southern Guinea and spread to
Liberia and Sierra Leone. 'Contact avoided' The Liberian man collapsed
on arrival in Lagos last Sunday. He was taken from the airport to
hospital, where he was put in quarantine. Officials have identified
the 40-year-old man as an employee of the Liberian government. Ebola,
which is highly contagious, spreads via bodily fluids, including sweat
Mr Chukwu confirmed that the other passengers on board the flight had
been traced and were being monitored. The patient had "avoided contact
with the general public" between the airport and the hospital, he
said. Health specialists have been deployed at all entry points into
the country, he added. The virus, which kills up to 90% of those
infected, spreads through contact with an infected person's bodily
fluids. Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive
treatment early.
BBC
