So, the Registrar of the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria (MLCN), Professor Anthony Emeribe, had said again that no laboratory in Nigeria can effectively diagnose the Ebola virus because there is none that has the requisite infrastructure to culture and manipulate the deadly virus that has been responsible for the death of hundreds of people in countries across West Africa within the last one month.
In another interview wit Daily Independent, the Professor said that, samples from any patient suspected to be carrying the disease may have to be taken to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) laboratories in Atlanta, United States of America (USA), or to laboratories in Dakar, Senegal for confirmation.
This disclosure came even as renowned virologist and President, Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), Professor Oyewale Tomori, in an interview with Sunday Independent stated that “antibodies that were similar to that of Ebola virus were discovered in a sera (body fluid) samples of a patient in Nigeria in 1988.”
A confirmation of Nigeria’s inability to handle the diagnosis of the Ebola virus in humans came from Speaking at the weekend, Emeribe said, “Agreed, Nigeria has the capacity (personnel and space) that can detect Ebola virus. There is, however, no laboratory in Nigeria that has the safety levels needed for the diagnosis of the virus.”
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According to the MLCN Registrar, the most advanced laboratories in Nigeria that can handle similar cases have a maximum Level 3 Biosafety level as against Level 4, which is the basic for Ebola Virus culturing and manipulation.
“It can be detected, but if a laboratory does not have Biosafety Level 4 infrastructure, it may not be able to contain the bio-hazardous virus,” Emeribe disclosed.
He said the although the Lahor Laboratory in Irua, Edo state is equipped to diagnose Lassa fever and other less virulent haemorrhagic fevers, it is deficient in the biosafety levels that could enable it handle Ebola without fears of hazardous outcomes.
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