Posted by: Deolu on August 16, 2014
The Government of Lagos State has reportedly declared that only US-made ZMapp drug will be allowed for treating Ebola infected patients, while the use of Canadian-made experimental vaccine, Nano Silver, will be halted.
These decisions were contained in a declaration by a Commissioner of Health, Dr. Jide idris, made in the evening of August 15, 2014, Friday. He also failed to clarify whether any of these drugs have already been brought to Nigeria or not, newsday.com.ng reports.
“Should we have access to ZMapp now, right away, we will start the administration on the patients.
“We are attending a meeting soon with the Task Force on Ebola to know if the ZMapp drug is available as stated by the Federal government,” Dr. Idris said.
The commissioner also stated that the Nano Silver, developed by an unnamed Nigerian scientist in the Diaspora and previously suggested by the Federal Government, is an untested natural health product, and the state is currently not ready to play with the health of the patients.
Dr. Idris also informed that First Consultant Hospital, where the first case of EVD occurred, would be reopened soon. According to him, this followed the mandatory three rounds of state-certified decontamination process.
The commissioner also revealed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Clinic was shut after the detection of a confirmed case of the disease at the facility. The decontamination process there would be facilitated.
“25 patients and health workers at the facility when the case was detected are presently under surveillance,” he added.
ZMapp may have likely saved the lives of two American missionaries, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol. The duo have been working in Liberia and got infected. However, they have been brought back to the USA and, at the same time, treatment with ZMapp was being made, which improved thier condtion significantly.
According to the official report by the World Health Organisation, rhe outbreak of deadly Ebola virus has already claimed at least 1,145 lives, while over 2,127 cases are confirmed.
