There Is Hope: Ebola Drug Finally Arrives Nigeria

A Nigerian scientist has raised the hope of survival for patients of the deadly Ebola virus disease in the country with the donation of an experimental drug for treating the disease, known as Nano- Silver. At a briefing in Abuja, Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, informed journalists about the arrival of the drug and confirmed that another patient had tested positive to the disease. He did not name the donor of the drug. At present, the minister said the number of persons that had tested positive to the disease in the country was 10, including the late Liberian. “The fourth death recorded today [Thursday] was a Nigerian nurse who participated in the initial management of the index case,” the minister said the drug would be used according to the World Health Organisation, WHO, guidelines. WHO had last week Tuesday approved the use of experimental drugs to manage the virus which currently has no approved vaccine or other medication for its cure, prevention or treatment. The drug from the scientist, Nano-Silva, the minister said, “is something that has been used experimentally on a lot of things. The only experimental drug we have now is Nano-Silver, provided by a Nigerian scientist; details of the drug will be disclosed later to the media,” Chukwu said. Experimental drugs are used on animals and other living organisms before getting approval from the WHO for use on humans. He added: “More information will come subsequently from the technical people. "As minister, I have just told you what we’ve done because the drug is going to Lagos. Let it get there. But, I can tell you, subsequent ones, the technical people shall be briefing you on how they are using it." On the reported 21 contacts in Enugu, Chukwu said: "The newly-married doctor, who was among the medical officials that treated the Liberian that imported the disease into the country, Patrick Sawyer, went to visit her husband in Enugu State." He added: “The husband, even though he doesn’t have any symptom as at now, he is not Ebola positive as at now, he is under quarantine because of the intimate contact in Lagos. She was going to Enugu; she did not infect anybody because she was in- symptomatic. "You can only infect people when you have symptoms. So, the fact that she went by public transport posed no threat to anyone. When you don’t have symptom, you don’t infect anybody. But on her return journey to Lagos, both of them travelled in special ambulances. "So, they did not have opportunity to contaminate anybody from Lagos to Enugu. “Presently, only six persons are under surveillance in Enugu, down from initial 21.”