As part of preventive measures against the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, the Federal Government has directed relevant authorities to henceforth stop receiving corpses from the West African countries into the country.

The government specifically banned the bringing of corpses from the West African countries where the spread of EVD had been established. It however said that there was no fresh case of Ebola virus disease in the country.

The implication is that any Nigerian who dies in any of the affected West African country would be buried  there as the cost of keeping such corpses in mortuaries until the EVD palaver settled could be very enormous. It also means less expenses for such bereaved families who may have to bury their loved ones in the said countries of West Africa.


On the heels of the Federal Government’s action was  Anambra State government which yesterday, directed the screening of corpses entering into the state from  any part of the country as part of it’s precautionary measures against the dreaded disease.

However,  there were mixed reactions to the advice by health officials on Nigerians to avoid the consumption of bush meat so as not to contract the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, at  Amasiri in Afikpo Local Government Area of  Ebonyi State, where the Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, hails from.

70 contacts under monitoring

At least 70 persons have been identified to have had contact with the late Liberian, Mr. Patrick Sawyer who died of EVD, in Lagos, just as the Lagos State government said that two earlier identified persons who developed fever after having contact with Sawyer had tested negative of the killer disease.

At separate news conferences yesterday, at Ikeja on the update of Ebola case in the state, the Director, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Professor Abdulsalim Nasidi, the Lagos State  Commis-sioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris and Special Adviser to Governor Babtunde Fashola, Dr Yewande Adeshina, at Alausa,  said the Rapid Response Team, RRT, on the disease was currently tracking all contacts of persons exposed to the passenger with EVD.

Nasidi, who commended the Lagos State government for its prompt response and pro-active measures so far, said that 75 percent of early detected patients of EVD survived.

Nasidi explained: “All the guidelines we are using were specified by the World Health Organisation, WHO. On the manifest concerning Sawyer, the manifest we are waiting for included the manifest on the first flight between Monrovia, Ghana and Lome… We have got some of the information but there are some little gaps we are trying to fill. We are getting full corporation from the airline operator.’’

On the corpse which arrived Anambra State from Liberia, they said it came into the country through Air Gambia. It was received in Lagos on July 21, 2014 and transported by road. It was received in a private mortuary.