Nigeria’s civil aviation authority (NCAA) said on Thursday it had
started temperature screening passengers arriving from places at risk
from Ebola and had suspended pan-African airline, Asky, for bringing the
first case to Lagos.
Ebola has been blamed for 729 deaths in
Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, according to the World Health
Organization. One died in Lagos, a crowded city of 21 million people
with some of Africa’s worst sanitation and health care.
“Screening and monitoring is being done at all major international
airports. It entails checking passengers’ temperatures with a hand-held
machine,” NCAA spokesman, Sam Adurogboye, said, adding this meant for
any journey that passed through Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone.
A
compulsory blood test would follow if the passenger’s temperature gave
cause for concern, he said. International airlines association IATA said
the WHO was not recommending any travel restrictions or border closures
due to the outbreak, and says there would be a low risk to other
passengers if an Ebola patient flew.
Patrick Sawyer, a consultant
for Liberia’s Finance Ministry in his 40s, collapsed on arrival at Lagos
airport on July 20 on an Asky flight. He was put in isolation at the
First Consultants Hospital in Obalende, one of the most crowded parts of
the city, but died early on July 25.
“We have suspended Asky until
they are able to show us what measures they have put in place for
passengers to ensure they do not bring Ebola,” Adurogboye said.
He
said the largest Airline Arik Air was being told to maintain its
self-imposed suspension of all flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone for
the time being.
Authorities were monitoring 59 people who were in
contact with Sawyer, including airport contacts, and are seeking to make
contact with all passengers that were on his flight. The latest
outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever began in the forests of remote eastern
Guinea in February. It starts with headaches and fever, and final stage
symptoms include external and internal bleeding, vomiting and diarrhea.
Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency and called in troops to
quarantine epicenters of Ebola on Thursday.
Source: Sun