EBOLA: Liberia Apologises To Nigeria

It would be recalled that the first case of Ebola hit Nigeria after a Liberian-born American, Patrick Sawyer, who was already infected with the virus, arrived Lagos on July 20 from Lome but died five days after he was admitted into a hospital in Obalende. The Liberian-born American came into contact with 59 people in both the Murtala Mohammed International Airport and the hospital. Eight of the hospital contacts were quarantined at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba. One of them, a nurse, who treated the deceased, died on Tuesday, August 5 becoming the first Nigerian casualty. Five others, including a female medical doctor, had as of Wednesday, tested positive to the virus. Meanwhile, the Liberian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nurudeem Mohammed, told journalists in Abuja that President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, was deeply sorry that Sawyer brought the virus to Nigeria. He stated that the deceased was under surveillance in Liberia but that he sneaked into Lagos. Mohammed said: “The Liberian President has personally called to apologise on the unfortunate development. “She specifically said her country had declared a state of emergency over the Ebola epidemic in Liberia . “She equally apologised that Sawyer ignored medical advice and escaped out of Liberia.”