The World Health Organization has reported 672 deaths in a new outbreak of the Ebola virus that began in February. Most of the cases are in Africa. In Nigeria, officials are facing a daunting task after the Ebola virus surfaced in Lagos. They’re trying to trace more than 30, 000 people who could now be at risk. They have also shut down the hospital where the first known victim of the virus was recorded. But they insist, there’s no reason to panic.
Professor Sunday Omilabu is on the frontline of Nigeria’s battle with ebola. It was here, in his laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, that the country’s first known case was confirmed.
A 40-year-old Liberian man who’d flown into Lagos - and died days later at a private hospital in the city.
"This is a firm confirmation that we had the virus brought to us and only God knows how far the thing has transmitted," Professor Sunday Omilabu said.
Now the race is on, to find and check everyone who may have had contact with the victim.
"At the airport where we learnt that the man collapsed, people rallied round to give a helping hand. So while doing that, only God knows what actually transpired. So we have been making contacts. We now have information about the manifest. We have information about who and who were around. As I’m talking, our teams are in the facility where they have trained the staff and asking questions about those that were closely in contact with the patient," Professor Sunday Omilabu said.
And that number could be huge.
"We are actually looking at contacting over thirty thousand people in this very scenario because any and everybody that has contacted this person is going to be treated as a suspect," said Doctor Yewande Adeshina, an adviser on public health in Lagos state.
The federal government has put all ports of entry on red alert... and is running a media campaign to alert the public.
That campaign has already begun running on television and radio and in local languages across the country. But speaking to some people on the street here, it’s obvious much work still needs to be done.
Officials say health services are equipped to deal with any outbreak... and that staff are properly trained.
But residents remain nervous. One of Africa’s most populous cities, Lagos is over-crowded - and its infrastructure and health service struggle at the best of times.
