Possible case of Ebola in Lagos

Liberian man in Lagos suspected of having virus

There are concerns that the Ebola virus which has killed 660 people in west Africa since February has arrived in Lagos. The state health authorities announced on 24 July that a Liberian man in Lagos is suspected of having the disease.

The man collapsed at Lagos airport on 20 July after arriving from Liberia, one of the west African countries affected by the virus. He is currently undergoing treatment at an unspecified health facility in the state.

Yewande Adeshina, special adviser on public health to the Lagos state government, said that the preliminary results from the man's blood samples necessitated confirmation as Ebola at the World Health Organisation (WHO) laboratory in Senegal, whose findings are pending.

The announcement came days after the Nigerian health authorities outlined precautionary measures against the world's worst Ebola outbreak in nearby west African countries Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.