Rivers to make official announcement on doctor believed to have died of Ebola virus yesterday

The Rivers State Government is set to make an official announcement on the death of a doctor who was allegedly infected with the Ebola virus in the state.

 An official of the state government had told PREMIUM TIMES under anonymity that the state was investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the doctor who is believed to have treated a primary contact to Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who brought the virus to Nigeria.

Officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health had convened journalists for a briefing on Wednesday night, but suspended it because the test samples of the late doctor were still being expected.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Sampson Parker, is expected to tell journalists, Thursday, based on the test results, whether or not the doctor died of Ebola.

The doctor’s death on Wednesday sparked panic across the state about a possible Ebola outbreak.

If confirmed, the death will be the first of an Ebola victim in Nigeria outside Lagos State, which has witnessed five such deaths including that of Mr. Sawyer. Details later…