Nigerian soldiers in Liberia Ebola -free -DHQ

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Sunday, October 12th, 2014

By Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has insisted that none of its soldiers has tested positive to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), in Liberia.

In a tweet on Friday, the military high command explained that the Nigerian soldiers were only confined to their camp as precautionary measures and for medical observations.

The DHQ said this decision was taken after a Sudanese staff of the United Nations, UN, was reported to have manifested symptoms of the deadly disease. “All necessary steps are also being taken to ensure that none of the Nigerian troops is affected by the disease while serving in Liberia,

” The Director, Nigerian Army Medical Corps, Major General Obashina Ogunbiyi, was quoted as saying that the Sudanese died two days after he went into the troop’s camp to pray. Army Medical Corps Director, while speaking to a team of experts from the Ebola Treatment Group (TRG), said the troops were all quarantined on Thursday morning.

He said that this became necessary because Nigeria still faces the EVD threat especially if any of the soldiers return home without proper checks on their status. Maj General Ogunbiyi also noted that about 1, 300 Nigerian troops were serving in Liberia, which is the hardest hit of the three West African countries battling the Ebola epidemic, with over 2,300 deaths so far recorded.

The other countries also being ravaged are Guinea, where the disease first broke out in March, and Sierra Leone. The BBC broke the report that the Nigerian troops were being quarantined in Liberia for ebola scare.