Ebola: WAEC bars sick candidates

The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has warned sick candidates for the forthcoming November/December 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, to stay away from the examination centres.

This is even as the Lagos State government yesterday confirmed that five additional suspected cases of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, had been received.

It said the fresh suspected cases were brought in yesterday.

WAEC gave the warning as part of efforts to curb the spread of the deadly disease which had so far killed five persons in the country.

The examination body noted that it had prepared to curb the spread of the virus by providing preventive measures in its centres, including hand gloves, masks and sanitisers.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, while briefing journalists, said two of the fresh suspected cases were secondary contacts.

He added that the remaining three were primary contacts with the late Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who imported the disease into the country.

According to the commissioner, the fresh suspected cases have increased the number of patients in isolation wards from two to six.

He said that one of the suspected cases was a Liberian brought into the isolation centre from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

Idris, however, said that the Liberian had since been released, having tested negative to EVD.

He said: “Till date, we have recorded eight suspected cases, five of which were brought in yesterday. We have 12 confirmed cases on the whole out of which five have died and five have been discharged. We are currently following up on 213 contacts while 62 have completed the 21- day follow-up.

“Yesterday, we recorded the death of the Senior Consultant/Endocrinologist of First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, Lagos, Dr. Stella Shade Ameyo Adadevoh, who took the initiative to intimate the ministry about the index case and subsequently to her credit, the moderate containment achieved.”

Idris said the Lagos State Ministry of Health was continuing the contact- tracing, now shifting from primary to secondary contacts.

The commissioner added that the mode of spread remained mainly transmission from an infected person in an infective state and from infected animals.

He said: “This is call for vigilance as human transmission is only achieved by physical contact with a person who is acutely and gravely ill (fever being a key sign) from Ebola virus through body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, breast milk, semen and vomits.

“Burial ceremonies where mourners, including family members, have direct contact with patients who died of Ebola have also played a role in the spread and direct contact with dead bodies should be minimised at this period.”

On whether a patient could request for administration of an experimental drugs like Nanosilver, Idris said the possibility of that happening was very low as no certified doctor would be willing to administer an unapproved experimental drugs on a patient.

He said testing positive to EVD was not a death sentence if detected early, even as he encouraged anyone who manifested the symptoms to give up themselves for proper test and medical care.