• Situation being monitored, says Centre for Disease Control
• NMA commends Osinbajo for choosing local hospital in complex surgery
Nigeria is on red alert following Ghana’s announcement of its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), yesterday, said, given the proximity to Ghana, Nigeria is more susceptible to the disease today than it was last year when it was reported in Guinea.
A source at NCDC, who preferred anonymity, told The Guardian: “The case, last year, was in Guinea. For Ghana, the situation is different.
Nothing is impossible. The disease can get to Nigeria. The world is a global village. People are moving freely across borders. It depends on how Ghana is handling and monitoring the situation.
“Diseases don’t just jump; they are made to jump by human or animal hosts. However, the NCDC is watching and monitoring the situation and we shall come out with an official position soon. Remember, Nigeria has not reported any case of Marburg virus disease before.”
Marburg is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the better-known Ebola virus disease.
It is only the second time the zoonotic disease has been detected in West Africa.
Guinea confirmed a single case in an outbreak that was declared over on September 16, 2021, five weeks after the initial case was detected.
MEANWHILE, doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have commended Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for using a Nigerian hospital in a complex surgical procedure.
A medical team at Duchess International Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, had, over the weekend, operated Osinbajo.
Usually, top political office holders and government officials travel abroad for medical procedures, spending scarce foreign exchange on procedures that could be performed locally.
NMA President, Dr. Uche Ojinmah, in a statement, yesterday, said the association “wishes to thank God for seeing Vice President Osinbajo through surgery. All Nigerian doctors are praying for his quick and complete recovery.”
He said: “NMA, hereby, also commend Mr. Vice President for demonstrating confidence in the Nigerian doctor and healthcare system. We are certain that he was impressed.
“We call on other political office holders to emulate the Vice President and end medical tourism. It is time to fix our fragile healthcare system to the benefit of the common man and our economy. The time for action is now.”
The medical team that operated on the Vice President include: Consultant Radiologist, Dr. Babalola Afolabi; Consultant Physician and Medical Director, Dr. Adedoyin Ogunbi; Consultant Anaesthetist, Dr. Oladimeji Agbabiaka; Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Wallace Ogufere; Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Om Lahoti; Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Dr. Ken Adegoke; and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Babajide Lawson.
SOurce: Guardian.ng