By Agboola Bayo
Ibadan
Oyo state Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Babatunde Olatunji, yesterday said Ebola has so far killed more than 1,600 people in Africa.
Olatunji declared this in Ibadan while speaking at an sensitisation/ awareness lecture on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) organised by Odu’a Investment Company Limited in conjunction with the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Oyo state chapter, and the Junior Chamber International (JCI).
The NMA chairman disclosed that since the discovery of the deadly disease in Congo in 1976 with 280 cases, more than 3,000 cases had been reported till date on the continent.
“There have been more than 3,000 reported cases of ebola since its discovery in Congo in 1976 and more than 1,600 deaths since the discovery of Ebola virus,” he said.
Olatunji in the sensitisation lecture entitled: “Ebola Virus Disease: Basic Clinical Syndrome, Care and Management” gave the breakdown of the death toll as “280 in 1976 in Congo,53 in 2001 in Gabon, 128 in the year 2002~2003, 264 death in 2007,34 deaths in 2008 and 70 deaths out of the 111 cases so far reported between March this year till date.
The NMA chairman maintained that as at present, it was glaring that 90 per cent of detected Ebola cases in Africa leads to death as there “is no cure yet for Ebola virus; no treatment but just management.”
While urging Nigerians to avoid direct contact with blood, dead body, fluids or cadavers of infected people as well as animals such as bats, antelopes and bush meat, Olatunji called on corporate bodies and well-meaning Nigerians to support medical doctors and hospitals with Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), and create isolation centres to fight the deadly Ebola virus.
Group Managing Director of Odu’a, Mr Adewale Raji, in his remarks, declared that the campaign was to increase awareness on the measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Speaking through the conglomerate’s General Manager, Human Resources, Mr Abimbola Ilori, the GMD emphasised the importance to imbibe the culture of hygienic measure of washing their hands, frequent use of sanitisers, avoid eating bush meat and touching or washing of the dead.
