Nigeria still at risk of Ebola virus -Virologist

A Virologist, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, said on Monday that Nigeria would continue to be at risk of the Ebola Virus Disease as long as the virus lingered in neighbouring countries.

Tomori, who works with the World Health Organisation, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that Nigeria would become free of the virus only after the disease had been wiped out of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – all in West Africa.

He, however, commended both the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government for their dedicated efforts in combating the Ebola Virus in the country, and urged Nigeria to help its neighbours to fight the disease.

Tomori said, “Ebola has been ravaging the whole of West Africa. We are not free of Ebola until Ebola stops in those three countries because there is always a chance that another Patrick Sawyer can come in.

“And I want to commend the Lagos State Government for what it had done over this Ebola; I am also commending the Federal Government. But we are not out of the woods yet; so long as there is a case in Liberia; so long there is a case in Sierra Leone; so long there is a case in Guinea, we are not out of the woods; so, until that is over, Ebola is not over.

“All of us need to work together for the sake of our country. And we must go out now as Nigerians to help our brothers in other parts of West Africa to see what we can do to tackle this Ebola.”

He added that improved hygiene and especially hand-washing with soap could help prevent infection generally.

He also urged health workers to adhere strictly to the universal practice when attending to patients as they were particularly at risk of contracting the virus.