The staff, patients and all the corpses have been quarantined also.
The corpse was brought into the country as a cargo and was taken straight to Apex Hospital and Mortuary at Nkwelle Ezunaka in Oyi Local Government Area of the state, apparently by his relations and waiting for burial.
However, somebody from the community, who knew that the man
died in Liberia where there have been deaths caused by Ebola disease, informed
the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano. The Governor immediately
directed the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Josephat Akabike to take action.
Addressing reporters in Awka, yesterday, Akabike said though
it has not been confirmed that the man died of the Ebola disease, there was
need for precautionary measures to be taken.
He said: “We have already contacted the Federal Ministry of
Health and we are expecting them to arrive the state any time from now. We have
sealed the mortuary and the hospital and all the corpses and the people working
there have been quarantined.
"We are also making efforts to locate the family of the
deceased to know their level of contact with the corpse when it arrived the
country and everybody who had visited the mortuary will also be quarantined.
"We are surprised how the corpse came into Nigeria and Anambra
State. It is shocking to us. We have directed the police to cordon off the
area. Ebola is a very big threat and that is why we are taking all the
measures."
According to him, “the information was brought by somebody
who acted fast, following the announcement we have been making since the
disease was made known”, adding that his ministry has assembled its health team
and got all the preventive materials ready.
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