The Commissioner For Special Duties, Lagos State, Wale Ahmed has dispelled the notion that the use of face masks prevents the contraction of the ebola virus disease , saying that the disease is not airborne.
He also noted that the Ebola virus cannot be contracted by someone who has just had the symptoms but can be contracted by someone who is visibly sick. “It cannot be transmitted during its incubation period which is between 2-21 days.
Referring to the recent case of a nurse that had contact with the late Patrick Sawyer and escaped to Enugu, but has been brought back to Lagos, the commissioner said that the nurse was not under the care of the isolation centre at Infectious Disease Hospital, rather a controlled environment;” we have beefed up security with the help of some foreign healthcare workers who have advised on the amendments to be taken in order to prevent such action” mr. ahmed said.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, the commissioner acknowledged that certain preventive measures should have been taken at the time the late Patrick Sawyer was at the airport, “If the airport health facilities were working properly Mr. Sawyer shouldn’t have been allowed to leave the airport” he added.
He also added that most of the facilities used at these isolation wards is what has been kept for a later use but had to be used due to the spread of the virus in Lagos.
The Commissioner mentioned that presently there are over 200 people under surveillance both in primary and secondary contact.
He said that primary contact are put under quarantine and are about 200 while the secondary contact are put under observation with people watching over them to check if there is an increase in temperature.
