Ebola Contacts Reach 91- Health Ministry on Preventive Measures

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Wed, 2016-04-06 11:49 — davidmc

Monrovia - Two new cases of the Deadly Ebola Virus Disease along with at least 91 contacts have been confirmed in Liberia by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare following recent outbreak of the disease in neighboring Guinea.

Deputy Health Minister for Incident Management, Tolbert Nyeswah told a Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism news conference Tuesday that the latest confirmed case is a five year-old boy whose mother, age 30, was firstly confirmed with the virus at the Redemption Hospital but later died due to the uncontrolled nature of the disease.

Deputy Minister Nyeswah said: “I am impressed with the work of the healthcare workers at Redemption Hospital. The case that we are talking about, a 30 year-old arrived at the hospital emergency room and the healthcare workers were able to put on the preventive gears right away, looking at the condition”.

The lady identify as Annie Kollie reportedly came from neighboring Guinea few days after that country reported Ebola cases and it is believed that she contracted the Ebola Virus Disease before her travel to Liberia.

She was reportedly taken to a local Hospital, Ma Watta Kamara Clinic in the Black-Gina Community along the Somalia Drive area, where nurses at that center interacted with her prior to her transfer at the Redemption Hospital where she met her demise.

“Yes, I understand that this came from a local hospital call the Ma Watta Kamara Clinic in Jacob’s Town. Actually we would like to keep these names confidential because it is not correct to expose them but for the purpose of Ebola now, we have to allow people know that yes, she came from the Ma Watta Kamara Clinic near Jacob’s Town."

"This clinic is completely different from Ma Watta Medical Eye Clinic in 72nd Community”, Minister Nyeswah clarified on grounds that the Ma Watta Clinic in 72nd is currently being stigmatized due to similar identity.

The health workers according to Minister Nyeswah have been placed under precautionary observation at a particular location while the Ministry through its County Health Team is making frantic efforts in pursuing others who the lady might have come in contact with before being confirmed of the Ebola Virus.

He said they were previously insisting that they wanted to remain at their compound for the observation period, a proposal that was seriously rejected by the Ministry of Health team due to the serious nature attached to the prevailing Ebola situation in the country.

The 91 contacts identified so far are said to be people who had personal contacts with the lady who firstly came down with the Ebola virus in the country.

However, the Deputy Health Minister noted, the 5-year old boy is currently being quarantined at the ELWA-Two Ebola Treatment Unit along the Roberts International Airport Highway.

The Deputy Health Minister maintained that the confirmed 5 year-old, is being treated with the Z-MAPP Trial vaccination along with other treatments, adding that his current condition shows that he is responding to the treatment.

Minister Nyeswah then clarified that the Ministry of Health has not yet considered the ZMAPP Vaccination as the an appropriate treatment to the Ebola Virus disease but a trail immunization that is still being observed.

“Today, Ebola Virus Disease is no longer a public health emergency but an International concern and this is the third outbreak for Liberia”, said Minister Nyeswah.

Minister Nyeswah asserted that the contacts could increase or decrease base on the response capacity put forth by the Ministry of Health noting that the ministry has put in response capacities in various counties against the rapid increase of Ebola in the rural areas.