Kwara closes private hospital over suspected Ebola victim

The Kwara State Government yesterday, announced  the immediate closure of a private hospital in the  metropolis  over a suspected Ebola virus contamination. Announcing the closure of the hospital, the Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Public  Health, Professor Sunday Opabola, and his counterpart on Secondary Health, Dr Ibrahim Gambari, said the seven months old baby girl suspected  to be infected with the virus has already been isolated and quarantined in a specialist hospital.
According to Professor Opabola the baby girl came into the state with her mother as visitors from Ibadan, Oyo State.
He explained that upon their entry into the state recently, the child was taken to a hospital over a case of malaria, adding that after the baby had spent three days on admission and there was no sign of improvement, the doctor treating her reported the case to the Ministry of Health for prompt action.
He said after close examination, the patient’s vomit was discovered to have traces of blood, which was taken and sent to Lagos for laboratory examination.
He said, “if not for the situation on ground, malaria, cholera and other cases in babies can come with such symptoms like that of Ebola virus.
Opabola said the state government shut down the hospital and placed it under  surveillance to prevent possible spread of the disease.
He said the  state government has already ordered for immediate  purchase of Ebola test machine from Abuja and it would be installed at the Kwara Diagnostic Centre, Ilorin, adding  that the state had created three isolation centres in Sobi Specialist Hospital, Omu-Aran General Hospital and the General Hospital, Okuta a border town of the state .
He assured that there was no cause for alarm because the state was safe.