The Italian diagnosed of coronavirus travelled to Ogun State for business a day after he arrived in Nigeria from Milan, Lagos State Government has said.
The patient, an unnamed Italian, arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on Wednesday from Milan and was reported ill on 26th February. He was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing.
“We have a traveller that began his journey in Milan on Monday, 24th February. He transited through Instanbul on Turkish Airlines and arrived in Lagos on Monday night,” Lagos State commissioner for health Prof akin Abayomi said at a press conference on Friday.
Abayomi said the Italian spent the night a hotel closed to the airport and travelled to Ogun State for business engagement on Tuesday morning.
“He carried out business in Ogun State within the confines of that company on Tuesday and in the early part of Wednesday.
“By afternoon, he started to develop symptoms for high fever and body pains.”
Abayomi said the patient was isolated and an investigation of the symptoms began at the medical facility owned by the company because of the Italian’s travel origin. He said the patient was isolated overnight on Wednesday and was transferred to Lagos State on Thursday morning.
“He immediately he arrived, he was put straight into isolation and the appropriate test was ordered. Within hours, we received the signal.”
He said the government has started tracing his movement from Lagos to Ogun and people he might have had contact with since his arrival in Lagos.
He said the state currently has an 80-bed facility to handle emergency and that it has the capacity to expand the facility.
This is not the first time the state will be dealing with a health emergency of this nature.
In 2014, Lagos State, under Governor Babatunde Fashola, successfully contained the spread of Ebola virus brought into the country by a Liberian Patrick Sawyer.
Eight persons died at the time, including Stella Adadevoh, the doctor who diagnosed the index case. Her refusal to release Sawyer despite intense pressure to do so was instrumental to curtailing the disease.
