Lucie Lecomte has found an August 11 report in a Nigerian online paper, Daily Post, that might help to explain the Ebola-positive test reported in the posts below: Kaduna NMA advocates redirection of Ebola campaigns to rural areas. Excerpt:
The Kaduna State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged both the federal and state governments to direct more of their enlightenment campaign on the Ebola virus disease to the rural communities instead of focusing it on the urban areas.
The association said this was necessary because majority of the rural dwellers eat more bush meat than their urban counterparts, adding that they were not properly enlightened to know the risks associated with the Ebola virus disease.
The Chairman of the state branch of NMA , Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, gave this advice at a press briefing in Kaduna on Saturday, even as he refuted rumours circulating round the state since Thursday that there was an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the state.
He called on the residents to always confirm any issue relating to the Ebola case from health personnel instead of relying on rumours.
He also advised them to adopt measures of protecting themselves from contracting the virus.
This doesn't sound like a guarded half-admission of a real Ebola case. I read it as an awareness in the local medical profession that people in Kaduna eat enough bush meat to put themselves at risk. If Ebola Zaire made its way in migrating bats from central Africa to rural Guinea, it could well have colonized north central Nigeria on its way.
As for the "rumours circulating round the state," they may have had some reasonable grounds. Or not. We're going to need much more information about the Kaduna patient who tested Ebola positive.
Lucie also found an August 18 Afrikinfos report that mentions the Kaduna case: "a sample brought in from Kaduna because there is no testing in Kaduna State." It's buried far down in the story, with nothing more said beyond the fact that the case is "being monitored and under surveillance" to see if symptoms develop. But if the person had no symptoms, why test for Ebola?
