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The 4th victim of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria, 25-year-old Justina Obi Echelonu is dead. A nurse, Echelonu was one of the primary contacts who participated in the initial management of the index case, late American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, at the First Consultant Hospital, Obalende in Lagos. She is the second nurse to have died in quarantine.The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu confirmed her death yesterday at a joint press briefing with the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, in Abuja.
According to Chukwu, Nigeria has now recorded 10 confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease, of which 4 have died and 6 are currently under treatment. “The total number of persons under surveillance in Lagos is now 169. These are all secondary contacts as all the primary contacts have completed the 21-day incubation period and have been de-listed to resume their normal lives,” the Minister explained. Echelonu previously worked at Otunba Tunwase National Paediatric Centre, Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State before relocating to Lagos to take up appointment with First Consultants Hospital. She hailed from Mbaise in Imo State and graduated from the Department of Nursing Science in Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.
A few days before she died, she recounted her ordeal with the late Sawyer on her Facebook page. In her words, “I never contacted his fluids. I checked his vitals, helped him with his food (he was too weak)….I basically touched where his hands touched and that’s the only contact, not directly with his fluids. At a stage, he yanked off his infusion and we had blood everywhere on his bed…but the ward maids took care of that and changed his linen with great precaution.
“Every patient is treated as high risk…if it were airborne, by now wahala for dey. I still thank God. Friends, up to our uniforms and all linen were burnt off. We are on surveillance and off work till 11th. Our samples have long been taken by WHO and so far we have been fine. For me, kudos to my hospital management because we work professionally with every patient considered risk, because that’s the training. Had it been it’s a hospital where they manage ordinary gloves like government hospitals and some janjaweed private hospital, …wahala for dey o. I must also thank Lagos Govt…in fact! Even Federal Government sef (sic)…all have been supportive. I’m good and so are the others in the hospital…”
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