The death on Sunday of a middle-aged epileptic patient after an attack triggered apprehension in Udo community of Orhiomwon local council of Edo State and environs as residents concluded that he died of the dreaded Ebola Disease Virus (EVD).

 

Similarly, it was a mixed grill for the entourage of the new Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, who paid a maiden visit to the Lagos Airport yesterday, as a Nigerian passenger en-route to Accra, Ghana, slumped and died instantly few minutes before boarding the plane.

 

The death caused confusion at the international wing of the airport as people ran for their lives, leaving the corpse there for several hours for fear that the deceased would have suffered from EVD.

 

The body of the middle-aged man remained with his young sister until the port health officials arrived to carry out an Ebola virus test, which eventually proved negative.

 

Reacting to the development, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) urged the public not to panic at the airports as there is no Ebola outbreak.

 

Officials of the Edo State Ministry of Health had arrived about an hour later for the deceased’s blood sample but before then, some villagers, having observed blood and foam in some parts of the man’s body prior to his death, feared that he suffered from EVD.

 

So they reportedly bundled the sick body into an empty bus and ordered the driver to take the man to a hospital, but equally scared that he might be infected if the patient was actually suffering from the disease, he refused to drive, and in the cause of the entire drama, the man gave up. Consequently, members of the community fled their homes.

 

A member of the community said, “we were scared because we have been watching adverts on TV by the state Ministry of Information telling us to be vigilant of signs like blood and fever. The man was shivering and we saw blood and foam from his mouth, that was why everybody ran away.”

 

However, a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity: “His corpse has been isolated and we can only talk more when the result of the test is out. If eventually we receive report of any case we will definitely tell the world because it is a serious matter.”

 

According to a statement by its General Manager, Corporate Communications, Yakubu Dati, “a Nigerian passenger residing in Accra, who arrived Lagos for business transactions aboard an Arik Air flight on August 8, 2014, has died at the Murtala Mohammad Airport, Ikeja, on his way back to Accra.

 

“The passenger took ill on August 9 and started stooling; when the situation got worse, he called his doctor in Accra, who instructed him to return to Ghana immediately for further treatment. 

 

“During boarding formalities for his return trip, the man, who had obviously become weak, was subjected to Ebola Virus test by port health officials, the result of which was negative. No further attention was paid to him after his result read negative but the passenger later slumped and died around the port health office.”

 

By Ibe Uwaleke (Lagos) and Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin City)

Guardian