Fear of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) swept across Abia State
on Friday following the rumoured death of a woman said to have returned
from Lagos with the killer disease virus.
It was reported that the wom- an whose name could not be ascertained
as at press time and who was rumoured to be a rela- tion of the nurse
who died after treating the African-American Liberian, Patrick Sawyer
who brought the disease to Nigeria, returned from Lagos to Umui- tigha,
her husband’s village in Isiala Ngwa South Local Gov- ernment after
being infected with the virus in Lagos.
The woman after showing signs of the dreaded disease was reportedly
rejected in her husband’s village, which made her to go to her village
in Ndio- lumbe in the same Isiala Ngwa South Local Government.
Report has it that after sever- al attempts were made to save the
woman’s life by her im- mediate family failed; she was orstracised and
later died near the popular Ndiolumbe market.
It was gathered that when the news of her death filtered into the
area, members of the com- munity and many shop owners around the area
were forced to close for business and vacated the area for their safety.
Another version of the ru- mour had it that the woman was not dead,
but that officials of the State Ministry of Health have visited the
community, quarantined her and cordoned off the area.
Following the woman’s ru- moured death, fear has gripped most parts
of the state as people resorted to drinking salty water and bathing with
the same in the belief that it would stop the virus from affecting
them. Residents of the state made early morning phone calls to their
relations and loved ones advising them on the salt therapy to which many
people complied with before 6 am, a time frame it was said it wouldbe
effective.
Efforts to reach Abia State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Okechukwu
Ogah failed as he did not pick his calls, but a senior official of the
Ministry who would not want his name in print said they had received the
report but refused further comments
No comments:
Post a Comment