A mild drama occurred at the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport, Lagos on Wednesday when a
suspected Ebola patient, one Theophilus
Onnakhinon, a Nigerian, was flown into the
country by Royal Air Maroc which arrived Lagos
from Casablanca at 6 am.
Passengers panicked and fled for dear life when
the status of the victim was announced.
Confirming the incident, a source close to the
Port Health Services at the airport, who spoke to
Punch, explained that the passenger had already
been treated for the Ebola Virus Disease and
declared cured.
““It is true that there was an Ebola scare at the
Lagos airport today, but the fact is that the
victim had been cured of the disease in Sierra
Leone before being assisted into Nigeria by our
consular officer in that country. Immediately he
landed, he was handed over to the port health
authorities who immediately carried out checks
on him and isolated him from other passengers.
But the truth is that we just want to re-check
what has already been done by the Sierra
Leonean authorities. You know, we cannot take
chances again in the country. I can assure you
that the situation is under control. He was
assisted into the country by a Nigerian consular
official, Mrs. T. Mohammed who accompanied
him into the country in order to avoid
stigmatisation by Nigerian health officials and
others at the airport.”
Wednesday’s incident came just over a week after
the World Health Organisation declared Nigeria
Ebola free.
International Airport, Lagos on Wednesday when a
suspected Ebola patient, one Theophilus
Onnakhinon, a Nigerian, was flown into the
country by Royal Air Maroc which arrived Lagos
from Casablanca at 6 am.
Passengers panicked and fled for dear life when
the status of the victim was announced.
Confirming the incident, a source close to the
Port Health Services at the airport, who spoke to
Punch, explained that the passenger had already
been treated for the Ebola Virus Disease and
declared cured.
““It is true that there was an Ebola scare at the
Lagos airport today, but the fact is that the
victim had been cured of the disease in Sierra
Leone before being assisted into Nigeria by our
consular officer in that country. Immediately he
landed, he was handed over to the port health
authorities who immediately carried out checks
on him and isolated him from other passengers.
But the truth is that we just want to re-check
what has already been done by the Sierra
Leonean authorities. You know, we cannot take
chances again in the country. I can assure you
that the situation is under control. He was
assisted into the country by a Nigerian consular
official, Mrs. T. Mohammed who accompanied
him into the country in order to avoid
stigmatisation by Nigerian health officials and
others at the airport.”
Wednesday’s incident came just over a week after
the World Health Organisation declared Nigeria
Ebola free.
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