The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has disclosed that the government has made contact with 55 of the passengers who were on the Turkish airline flight that brought the Italian infected with Coronavirus to Nigeria.
A total of 148 people were on board the flight.
Giving an update on the issue at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, the Minister, said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and port health services of the Federal Ministry of Health were monitoring the temperature and possible appearance of symptoms of the 55 passengers so far identified.
He said, however, that none of the passengers under watch had exhibited any symptom.
Ehanire also noted that there was NE reason yet for government to order that schools be shut down in the country adding that schools also have no right demand that students should wear face masks.
The Minister said: “Up till today (Friday), there have been no symptoms (in the 55 passengers). We are also trying to look out for others and we hope every passenger on that Turkish Airline who has not yet been contacted will contact the NCDC on 0800970001 – 10. They should also continue to self-isolate.
“Multi-sectoral emergency operation centre led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) continues to coordinate national response activities.
“Also, the national rapid response teams are supporting Lagos and Ogun states with the contact-tracing and other activities.
“We are following up with 61 contacts of the index case; 21 in Lagos and 40 in Ogun State.
“The contacts are under supervised self-isolation and states have provided them with temperature monitoring tools. All of them have remained symptom-free so far.
“Between 7th of February and 5th of March, 2020, a total of 21 suspected cases were reported across four states in Nigeria, namely – Lagos, Ogun, FCT, and Kano. The index case we have in Lagos is stable; symptoms are mild and are being treated at the infectious disease hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
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“There is still only one confirmed case of COVID-19 in Nigeria, which is the index case, and no death.
“There were three new suspected cases between the 4th of March and 5th of March, 2020; out of these, two cases were negative and one result is pending.”
On the issue of closing down schools and worship centres in the country, the Minister noted that nothing warrants such measures at the moment.
He said: “We have no reason to shut down schools or any place of worship in Nigeria at the moment. NCDC has also escalated the risk communication activities.
“We have five laboratories in Nigeria with capacity for in-country testing of the COVID-19 virus.
“The laboratories are National Reference Laboratory in Abuja, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research in Lagos, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State, and African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) in Osun. They also function as research centres.”
He further stressed that no school should demand that students and pupils should wear face masks.
He said: “No school should demand that students bring face masks because it is not what the government has advised.
“Individual principals cannot wake up and make demands that are not a general policy.
“For those who have serious illness like cough and catarrh and have to do an exam, I can understand that such a person is given a mask.
“Anyone with chronic cough and catarrh must see a doctor and stay home. And if for example, they have to be at lessons or take exams, then, they should be given masks.
“I do not think that it is necessary as a matter of routine for everybody in the school to wear masks, and it should not be enforced at all.”
