UPDATED: Ebola hits ‘2 spouses’ of late victims

Minister of health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, on Friday said two more Nigerians have been discovered to have contracted Ebola.

Onyebuchi made the disclosure at a media briefing in Abuja.

Earlier on Wednesday, Lagos state commissioner for health, Mr. Jide Idris, announced that five new Ebola cases had been discovered. But Chukwu would later issue a statement to deny the claim, saying reports of five new cases “should be disregarded” as he alone had the authority to announce confirmed cases of disease epidemics.

Speaking further on Friday, the  minister said the number of deaths from Ebola remained five and while the number of those who had recovered from the virus similarly remained five.

“Nigeria has now recorded the first two cases of secondary contacts with Ebola. They were spouses of the late primary contacts,” he said.

“This now brings to four, the number of those under treatment at the isolation ward for Ebola.

“In all, there are 14 recorded cases of Ebola in Nigeria.”

Chukwu also said that 67 persons under surveillance had completed the 21 days incubation period for Ebola, and had been discharged.

“As of today, there are 213 people under surveillance,” he added.

He dispelled earlier reports of five additional cases of Ebola by the Lagos state commissioner, Mr Jide Idris, saying it was his duty as the head of the nation’s health ministry to announce new cases as well as give updates on the virus in the country.

He also disclosed that the six persons under surveillance in Enugu had not developed symptoms of Ebola, but they were “still being monitored”.

“The federal government, working with the Lagos state government and other partners, will continue to maintain vigilance, continue to strengthen our containment activities and wishes to reassure the Nigerian public and the global community that efforts will not relent until the very last case of Ebola Virus Disease is seen in Nigeria,” he added.