NIGERIA: Late Ebola Virus Disease Victim Patrick Sawyer Cremated, Ashes To Be Sent To Family – FG
The body of late Patrick Sawyer who died from the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria has been decontaminated and cremated, officials said, yest...
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The body of late Patrick Sawyer who died from the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria has been decontaminated and cremated, officials said, yesterday.
Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who briefed newsmen on the outcome of the inter-ministerial committee on Ebola held with the Information Minister, Labaran Maku, in Abuja, said the National Council of State also received reports on the issue and had approved that state officials should be trained on issues around Ebola.
International Protocol
Chukwu said the body of Sawyer was cremated following international protocol, and with the approval of the Liberian government. The ashes from the remains, he said, had been requested by the deceased’s family, noting that the process for the transfer was on.
The heath minister also noted that the Federal Government was in possession of the manifest of the airline that brought Sawyer into the country and that people were still being screened for level of contact. He said two persons who travelled with the victim on same flight or who had primary contacts with Sawyer have been quarantined, while 69 others are placed under surveillance.
Chukwu said observation was on in Calabar to detect those who may have had secondary contact with Sawyer, stressing that such persons would be quarantined for three weeks, which is the recommended incubation period.
“ We agreed to cremate him in line with internationally acceptable protocol on disposing a sufferer of Ebola disease. The body of a sufferer itself is dangerous. The Centre for Disease Control decontaminated the body before it was cremated. We are now working with the governors. We want to begin to train the personnel of states to be able to handle matters of this nature, “ he stated
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has sent a team of technical experts to work with the Nigerian team on the preventing further importation and spread of the disease.
It was gathered that telecommunication companies in the country had agreed to start sending out messages to phone users on their mobile phones on the disease, while the National Call Centre which was originally scheduled for commissioning on a later date would now be fast tracked to aid communication on Ebola.
Source: Vanguard
Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who briefed newsmen on the outcome of the inter-ministerial committee on Ebola held with the Information Minister, Labaran Maku, in Abuja, said the National Council of State also received reports on the issue and had approved that state officials should be trained on issues around Ebola.
International Protocol
Chukwu said the body of Sawyer was cremated following international protocol, and with the approval of the Liberian government. The ashes from the remains, he said, had been requested by the deceased’s family, noting that the process for the transfer was on.
The heath minister also noted that the Federal Government was in possession of the manifest of the airline that brought Sawyer into the country and that people were still being screened for level of contact. He said two persons who travelled with the victim on same flight or who had primary contacts with Sawyer have been quarantined, while 69 others are placed under surveillance.
Chukwu said observation was on in Calabar to detect those who may have had secondary contact with Sawyer, stressing that such persons would be quarantined for three weeks, which is the recommended incubation period.
“ We agreed to cremate him in line with internationally acceptable protocol on disposing a sufferer of Ebola disease. The body of a sufferer itself is dangerous. The Centre for Disease Control decontaminated the body before it was cremated. We are now working with the governors. We want to begin to train the personnel of states to be able to handle matters of this nature, “ he stated
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has sent a team of technical experts to work with the Nigerian team on the preventing further importation and spread of the disease.
It was gathered that telecommunication companies in the country had agreed to start sending out messages to phone users on their mobile phones on the disease, while the National Call Centre which was originally scheduled for commissioning on a later date would now be fast tracked to aid communication on Ebola.
Source: Vanguard
