After Senegal, officials from the World Health Organization declared on Monday that Nigeria is now also cleared from the lethal Ebola virus. According to the report, six weeks have passed since any new cases of the virus have developed, leading authorities to believe that the virus has run its course within this country. Just like in Senegal, WHO officials commended the local government for this achievement, saying that other countries that are still currently struggling with the disease will do well to take note of such a notable effort in containing the virus.
WHO representative Rui Gama Vaz praised the country's efforts, saying, "This is a spectacular success story. It shows that Ebola can be contained, but we must be clear that we have only won a battle, the war only end when West Africa is also declared free of Ebola."
When Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American diplomat, imported the Ebola virus into Lagos earlier this year in July, it sparked fear and panic among local and global health officials since this city of 21 million people could have easily become a springboard for Ebola to spread further into the region. At that time, authorities were unprepared and caught unaware of the disease. There were no isolation units in hospitals across the country, which led to the infection of several other people including the medical staff that attended to the patient. Despite the shortcomings, however, hospital officials-including the doctor on duty who would later die of the disease as well-acted swiftly by putting the patient in quarantine against his will.
IFRC Lagos Ebola operations manager, Samuel Matoka, said that, "Nigeria was not really prepared for the outbreak, but the swift response from the federal government, state governments, and international organizations... was essential. The swiftness and fastness of the reaction from all parties helped to contain Ebola in Nigeria."
