Calabar “Ebola” patient tests “negative” for deadly virus
An undergraduate student of the University of Calabar fell ill and was admitted into the university’s teaching hospital, Wednesday.
The patient died within seven hours of being admitted into the hospital sparking fears the deceased was killed by the Ebola virus.
At least 10 people who had contact with the student have been quarantined.
Nigeria, a country that showed the world how to beat Ebola a year ago, shuddered from fears the virus may have found its way to Cross River, a state in the country’s South-South.
Those fears may now be jettisoned, health authorities say.
Health officials, Friday, admitted the patient showed a sign of the virus – high haemorrhage fever.
They have, however, allayed fears Ebola was responsible.
The Federal Ministry of Health dismissed reports of the resurgence of Ebola when it said the deceased tested negative for the virus.
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute, revealed the test result to journalists in Abuja, Friday.
However, the health ministry says it does not yet know what killed the student.
Awute said further tests were being carried out on the blood samples to identify what killed the student.
Earlier on Friday, a ministry official had said he was 90 per cent sure the victim was not carrying the Ebola virus.
