The Lagos doctor who treated American Patrick Sawyer (who died from Ebola in late July) has been confirmed as infected by the deadly virus by Nigerian authorities. This is Nigeria’s second confirmed case of Ebola but what is most concerning is the fact that the doctor’s infection suggests contagion is less well-contained that authorities have claimed – especially in light of the fact that they did not quarantine Sawyer’s fellow passengers. Nigeria is now the fourth nation to report Ebola cases, as Sierra Leone and Liberia are deploying hundreds of troops under an emergency plan to “contain” the worst outbreak of Ebola virus in history.
Nigerian authorities say they have confirmed a second case of Ebola in Africa’s most populous country, an alarming development after a man who flew by plane to the country died of Ebola.
Nigerian Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said Monday that the second person with Ebola is a doctor who had helped treat Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American man who died of Ebola in late July.
Sawyer, who was traveling to Nigeria on business, became ill while aboard a flight and Nigerian authorities immediately took him into isolation. They did not quarantine his fellow passengers, and have insisted that the risk of additional cases was minimal.
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