Nigerian public sector physicians have been on strike since early July. Reuters today reported "With doctors on strike, Lagos health commissioner Jide Idris said volunteers were urgently needed to track 70 people who came into contact with Sawyer. Only 27 have so far been traced."Nigerian auhorities giving conflicting stories about how the fatal case of Patrick Sawyer was handled last month. In announcing Sawyer's death, Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu maintained late last month that Nigerian officials had been vigilant in isolating him.
"It was right there (at the airport) that the problem was noticed because we have maintained our surveillance," he told reporters. "And immediately, he went into the custody of the port health services of the federal ministry of health so there was no time for him to mingle in Lagos. He has not been in touch with any other person again since we took him from the airport."
Chukwu's comments were at odds with remarks made Tuesday by the Lagos state health commissioner, who said doctors did not suspect Ebola immediately and identified Sawyer as a possible case only after he had been hospitalized for about a day.
More from Roooters: Authorities said on Wednesday that a Nigerian nurse who had treated Patrick Sawyer had also died of Ebola, and five other people were being treated in an isolation ward in Lagos, Africa's largest city.
The national health minister on Wednesday said special tents would be used to establish isolation wards in all of Nigeria's states. Authorities were setting up an emergency center in Lagos to deal with Ebola and expected the facility to be "fully functional" by Thursday, he said.
The CDC has gone on record as advising travelers to Nigeria: "Avoid hospitals where Ebola patients are being treated. The US Embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on facilities that are suitable for your needs."
This afternoon, a tweet from "@CDCEmergency Ops Center moved to Level 1 response to #EbolaOutbreak given the extension to Nigeria & potential to affect many lives." CDC will reassign personnel from other tasks as part of its scaled-up response to this outbreak.