Reports learned that a
sister of a Port Harcourt-based medical doctor, Iyke Enemuo, who
recently died from the Ebola virus, fled to Abia State to avoid being
quarantined along with others who came into contact with the late
doctor. However, one of her siblings, who is also a doctor, forced her
to return to the quarantine center in Port Harcourt, the capital of
Rivers State.
The woman helped care for her doctor brother as he
suffered from the debilitating disease caused by the Ebola virus. Dr.
Enemuo had contracted the virus when he was secretly treating a staff of
the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) who, in turn,
had had contact with Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who initially
brought the disease into Nigeria.
Reports says that the ECOWAS
diplomat who had had contact with Mr. Sawyer flew to Port Harcourt the
same day the Liberian American died, and met up with Dr. Enemuo.
Apparently aware of the deadly nature of the disease afflicting the
diplomat, Dr. Enemuo opted to treat him secretly at a local hotel.
After
recovering, the ECOWAS staff flew back to Lagos to seek clearance to
travel out of Nigeria. Quarantined and checked for Ebola in Lagos, he
was found to be free of the virus. However, a few days after he left
Port Harcourt, Dr. Enemuo took ill and was hospitalized at Good Health
Hospital in Port Harcourt where he died of the disease.
The
hospital has been closed down, and close to 70 people immediately
quarantined by Nigerian health officials. However, as at last night,
more than 200 people who had been in contact with Dr. Enemuo and the
ECOWAS diplomat had been quarantined as well. Dr. Enemuo’s wife recently
took ill.
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