Air Ambulance Reportedly Evacuates Ebola Patient From Abuja
An air ambulance has reportedly evacuated the woman identified as Nigeria’s Ebola index patient from the country, according to a report by ARISE News. The report said the medical evacuation took place early Monday morning through the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The woman was described in the report as the wife of a Swiss diplomat serving in Nigeria. ARISE News said it received information that the patient would be flown out at about 6 a.m., with a medical evacuation aircraft already waiting at the airport. Its crew reportedly deployed to the General Aviation Terminal, where they obtained pictures of a convoy of ambulances arriving from the Abuja city centre, accompanied by diplomatic vehicles. According to the station, the three-vehicle convoy included a vehicle belonging to an international agency, which entered the airport’s private jet section.
The report further stated that airport officials cordoned off the private wing during the operation, although the station said it later obtained video footage of a medical evacuation aircraft and its crew preparing to transport the passenger. ARISE News said the passenger was suspected to be the Ebola index patient because of the special arrangements surrounding the evacuation. It also quoted a source as saying the Federal Government intended to announce the medical evacuation only after the aircraft had taken off and left Nigerian airspace. However, the information provided in the report does not include an official confirmation from the Federal Government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, or the relevant health authorities that the evacuation had taken place or that the aircraft had left the country. Further clarification is therefore needed on the patient’s current location and the arrangements for continued medical care, as well as the public health measures being maintained in Nigeria. The reported evacuation, if confirmed, would come amid concern over the country’s response to the Ebola case and the need for transparent communication with the public.
#UTVAfrica#
