By LOUIS IBA

… After Ebola virus screening
 A Nigerian passenger, who was about boarding an Arik Air flight back to Accra, Ghana slumped and died yesterday, moments after undergoing a screening to detect his Ebola virus status at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Ikeja, Lagos. The result later showed he was Ebola negative.The death of the passenger, identified as Akunne Osei, at the section of the airport where port healthcare workers were busy carrying out inspection on outbound passengers to determine their Ebola virus status created panic among other passengers and workers that another Ebola virus victim had died at the airport and might have infected a few persons that had come in contact with him.

Yakubu Dati, spokesperson for the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), however, debunked the rumour, which had spread around the airport environment.

Osie, according to Dati, had died from other sicknesses and not the Ebola virus.

Dati said investigations carried out by agencies at the airport on the passenger revealed that he had been sick since last Saturday when he arrived in the country, a situation that informed his decision to fly back to Ghana on the orders of his Ghanaian-based doctors for further medical examination.

Dati said the initial screening done on him at the airport to ascertain his Ebola virus status had proved negative.

“The passenger, Akunne Osie, took ill on Saturday, August 8 and started stooling. When the situation got worse, he called his doctor in Accraa, who instructed him to return to Ghana immediately for further treatment.

“During boarding formalities for his return trip to Accra at the international terminal of MMA, Mr. Osei, who had obviously become weak at the time, 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 Ebola virus read negative but the passenger later slump and died around the port health office,” Dati said.


Source: Sun