Akwa Ibom State government has denied the rumours that cases of the deadly #Ebola Virus Disease have been found in the state.

 

The commissioner for information and communications, Mr Aniekan Umanah, in a joint statement with his health counterpart, Dr Ememabasi Bassey, said that so far, no case of Ebola has been established in the state.

 

According to the statement, the rumoured Ebola case at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital was unfounded, as “the body brought in from Port Harcourt was confirmed to have died from allergies and not because of the Ebola virus. The other rumoured case died from renal failure and was buried in his community.”

 

The statement stated that the lady alleged to have had contact with the Ebola case in Port Harcourt was traced to Aba and not Akwa Ibom. The said lady has, however, “been certified free of the Ebola virus.”

 

Calling for universal action against the virus from both medical workers and citizens, the commissioners said that the state government has constituted a task force to prevent the disease from gaining entry into the state and is also involved in inter-state collaboration against the disease.

 

They said, “The state government has so far acquired hand held infra-red screening machines and no passenger passes through Akwa Ibom Airport without being screened. More machines have been acquired for distribution to strategic places, in order to ensure adequate coverage of the Ebola screening exercise in the state.”