BEVERLY HILLS, August 12, (THEWILL) – An employee of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been killed by the deadly Ebola epidemic in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and financial hub.
The victim identified as Jatto Abdulqudir, 36, was one of those that had primary contact with the infected Liberian-American man, Mr. Patrick Sawyer, 40, who brought the disease to Lagos. Sawyer, a Consultant for the Liberian Ministry of Finance, died on July 25th, three days after he arrived Lagos onboard an ASky airline from Monrovia, for an ECOWAS regional meeting in Calabar, Cross River State.
ECOWAS in a statement Tuesday said Jatto Abdulqudir, a Protocol Assistant attached to its Lagos Liaison Office, was of the persons that assisted Sawyer when he arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
“The Management of the Commission wishes to commiserate with Mr. Abdulqudir’s family and colleagues and prays for the repose of his soul. Before this sad event, the Commission working in collaboration with Nigerian health authorities, had disinfected all the facilities of the ECOWAS Lagos Liaison Office as part of precautionary measures to safeguard the health, safety and security of staff members…,” ECOWAS said in a statement.
The latest death brings to 3 the number of persons that have died from the epidemic in Nigeria, while about 8 others have tested positive to the virus. About 177 persons are being closely watched by health officials.
ECOWAS said the victim had been in isolation until his death.
The deaths from Ebola in Africa has topped 1000 according to data from the World Health organization (WHO), while more than 2000 persons are currently infected in the West African States of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
An elderly Spanish Roman Catholic priest, Miguel Pajares, 75, became the first European to die from the outbreak on Tuesday, succumbing to the virus in a Madrid hospital five days after being evacuated from Liberia.
Father Pajares had been treated in Spain with an experimental US serum, ZMapp, after being flown to Madrid on August 7th.
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