Her name is Dr. Ada Igonoh. She works at the same First Consultants
Hospital in Lagos and she is one of the doctors who attended to the late
Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian man that brought in the deadly Ebola virus
into Nigeria.
Dr Ada has finally shared her Ebola survival story. In her inspiring
piece to Bella Naija, the doctor took time to disclose how she got
infected with the virus but miraculously survived it:
“Patrick Sawyer had complaints of fever and body weakness. The male
doctor on call admitted him as a case of malaria and took a full
history. Knowing that Mr Sawyer had recently arrived from Liberia, the
doctor asked if he had been in contact with an Ebola patient in the last
couple of weeks, and Mr. Sawyer denied any such contact. He also denied
attending any funeral ceremony recently. Blood samples were taken for
full blood count, malaria parasites, liver function test and other
baseline investigations. He was admitted into a private room and started
on anti-malarial drugs and analgesics. That night, the full blood count
result came back as normal and not indicative of infection.
"The following day however, his condition worsened...
"He barely ate any of his meals. His liver function test result showed
his liver enzymes were markedly elevated. We then took samples for HIV
and hepatitis screening.
"At about 5.00pm, he requested to see a doctor. I was the doctor on call
that night so I went in to see him. He was lying in bed with his
intravenous (I.V.) fluid bag removed from its metal stand and placed
beside him. He complained that he had stooled about five times that
evening and that he wanted to use the bathroom again. I picked up the
I.V. bag from his bed and hung it back on the stand. I told him I would
inform a nurse to come and disconnect the I.V. so he could conveniently
go to the bathroom”.
She further revealed how the late Dr Adadevoh came in contact with him
thus: “I walked out of his room and went straight to the nurses’ station
where I told the nurse on duty to disconnect his I.V. I then informed
my Consultant, Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh about the patient’s condition and she
asked that he be placed on some medications.
“The following day, the results for HIV and hepatitis screening came out
negative. As we were preparing for the early morning ward rounds, I was
approached by an ECOWAS official who informed me that Patrick Sawyer
had to catch an 11 o’clock flight to Calabar for a retreat that morning.
He wanted to know if it would be possible. I told him it wasn’t, as he
was acutely ill. Dr. Adadevoh also told him the patient could certainly
not leave the hospital in his condition. She then instructed me to write
very boldly on his chart that on no account should Patrick Sawyer be
allowed out of the hospital premises without the permission of Dr.
Ohiaeri, our Chief Medical Consultant. All nurses and doctors were duly
informed.
“During our early morning ward round with Dr. Adadevoh, we concluded
that this was not malaria and that the patient needed to be screened for
Ebola Viral Disease. She immediately started calling laboratories to
find out where the test could be carried out. She was eventually
referred to Professor Omilabu of the LUTH Virology Reference Lab in
Idi-Araba whom she called immediately. Prof. Omilabu told her to send
blood and urine samples to LUTH straight away. She tried to reach the
Lagos State Commissioner for Health but was unable to contact him at the
time. She also put calls across to officials of the Federal Ministry of
Health and National Centre for Disease Control.
“Dr. Adadevoh at this time was in a pensive mood. Patrick Sawyer was now
a suspected case of Ebola, perhaps the first in the country. He was
quarantined, and strict barrier nursing was applied with all the
precautionary measures we could muster. Dr. Adadevoh went online,
downloaded information on Ebola and printed copies which were
distributed to the nurses, doctors and ward maids. Blood and urine
samples were sent to LUTH that morning. Protective gear, gloves, shoe
covers and facemasks were provided for the staff. A wooden barricade was
placed at the entrance of the door to keep visitors and unauthorized
personnel away from the patient.
“Despite the medications prescribed earlier, the vomiting and diarrhea persisted. The fever escalated from 38c to 40c.
“On the morning of Wednesday 23rd July, the tests carried out in LUTH
showed a signal for Ebola. Samples were then sent to Dakar, Senegal for a
confirmatory test. Dr. Adadevoh went for several meetings with the
Lagos State Ministry of Health. Thereafter, officials from Lagos State
came to inspect the hospital and the protective measures we had put in
place.
“The following day, Thursday 24th July, I was again on call. At about
10.00pm Mr. Sawyer requested to see me. I went into the newly created
dressing room, donned my protective gear and went in to see him. He had
not been cooperating with the nurses and had refused any additional
treatment. He sounded confused and said he received a call from Liberia
asking for a detailed medical report to be sent to them. He also said he
had to travel back to Liberia on a 5.00am flight the following morning
and that he didn’t want to miss his flight. I told him that I would
inform Dr. Adadevoh. As I was leaving the room, I met Dr. Adadevoh
dressed in her protective gear along with a nurse and another doctor.
They went into his room to have a discussion with him and as I heard
later to reset his I.V. line which he had deliberately removed after my
visit to his room.
“At 6:30am, Friday 25th July, I got a call from the nurse that Patrick
Sawyer was completely unresponsive. Again I put on the protective gear
and headed to his room. I found him slumped in the bathroom. I examined
him and observed that there was no respiratory movement. I felt for his
pulse; it was absent. We had lost him. It was I who certified Patrick
Sawyer dead. I informed Dr. Adadevoh immediately and she instructed that
no one was to be allowed to go into his room for any reason at all.
Later that day, officials from W.H.O came and took his body away. The
test in Dakar later came out positive for Zaire strain of the Ebola
virus. We now had the first official case of Ebola virus disease in
Nigeria”.
On how much trauma his death caused them all, she said, “It was a
sobering day. We all began to go over all that happened in the last few
days, wondering just how much physical contact we had individually made
with Patrick Sawyer. Every patient on admission was discharged that day
and decontamination began in the hospital. We were now managing a crisis
situation…The frenetic pace of life in Lagos, coupled with the
demanding nature of my job as a doctor, means that I occasionally need a
change of environment. As such, one week before Patrick Sawyer died, I
had gone to my parents’ home for a retreat. I was still staying with
them when I received my temperature chart and thermometer on Tuesday
29th of July. I could not contain my anxiety.
“People were talking Ebola everywhere – on television, online,
everywhere. I soon started experiencing joint and muscle aches and a
sore throat, which I quickly attributed to stress and anxiety. I decided
to take malaria tablets. I also started taking antibiotics for the sore
throat. The first couple of temperature readings were normal. Every day
I would attempt to recall the period Patrick Sawyer was on admission –
just how much direct and indirect contact did I have with him? I
reassured myself that my contact with him was quite minimal. I completed
the anti-malarials but the aches and pains persisted. I had loss of
appetite and felt very tired”.
“When the pains and aches persisted, she went to see another doctor who
took samples of her blood for a test. The following day, Sunday 3rd of
August, I got a call from one of the doctors who came to take my sample
the day before. He told me that the sample which was they had taken was
not confirmatory, and that they needed another sample. He did not sound
very coherent and I became worried. They came with the ambulance that
afternoon and told me that I had to go with them to Yaba. I was
confused. Couldn’t the second sample be taken in the ambulance like the
previous one? He said a better-qualified person at the Yaba centre would
take the sample. I asked if they would bring me back. He said ‘yes’.
Even with the symptoms I did not believe I had Ebola. After all, my
contact with Sawyer was minimal. I only touched his I.V. fluid bag just
that once without gloves. The only time I actually touched him was when I
checked his pulse and confirmed him dead, and I wore double gloves and
felt adequately protected.
I told my parents I had to go with the officials to Yaba and that I
would be back that evening. I wore a white top and a pair of jeans, and I
put my iPad and phones in my bag.
A man opened the ambulance door for me and moved away from me rather
swiftly. Strange behavior, I thought. They were friendly with me the day
before, but that day, not so. No pleasantries, no smiles. I looked up
and saw my mother watching through her bedroom window.
We soon got to Yaba. I really had no clue where I was. I knew it was a
hospital. I was left alone in the back of the ambulance for over four
hours. My mind was in a whirl. I didn’t know what to think. I was
offered food to eat but I could barely eat the rice.
The ambulance door opened and a Caucasian gentleman approached me but
kept a little distance. He said to me, ‘I have to inform you that your
blood tested positive for Ebola. I am sorry’. I had no reaction. I think
I must have been in shock. He then told me to open my mouth and he
looked at my tongue. He said it was the typical Ebola tongue. I took out
my mirror from my bag and took a look and I was shocked at what I saw.
My whole tongue had a white coating, looked furry and had a long, deep
ridge right in the middle. I then started to look at my whole body,
searching for Ebola rashes and other signs as we had been recently
instructed. I called my mother immediately and said, “Mummy, they said I
have Ebola, but don’t worry, I will survive it. Please, go and lock my
room now; don’t let anyone inside and don’t touch anything.” She was
silent. I cut the line.”
On her experience at her the Isolated ward in Yaba, she said “I was
taken to the female ward. I was shocked at the environment. It looked
like an abandoned building. I suspected it had not been in use for quite
a while. As I walked in, I immediately recognized one of the ward maids
from our hospital. She always had a smile for me but not this time. She
was ill and she looked it. She had been stooling a lot too. I soon
settled into my corner and looked around the room. It smelled of faeces
and vomit. It also had a characteristic Ebola smell to which I became
accustomed. Dinner was served – rice and stew. The pepper stung my mouth
and tongue. I dropped the spoon. No dinner that night.
“Dr. David, the Caucasian man who had met me at the ambulance on my
arrival, came in wearing his full protective ‘hazmat’ suit and goggles.
It was fascinating seeing one live. I had only seen them online. He
brought bottles of water and ORS, the oral fluid therapy which he
dropped by my bedside. He told me that 90 percent of the treatment
depended on me. He said I had to drink at least 4.5 litres of ORS daily
to replace fluids lost in stooling and vomiting. I told him I had
stooled three times earlier and taken Imodium tablets to stop the
stooling. He said it was not advisable, as the virus would replicate the
more inside of me. It was better he said to let it out. He said good
night and left.
“My parents called. My uncle called. My husband called crying. He could
not believe the news. My parents had informed him, as I didn’t even know
how to break the news to him. As I lay on my bed in that isolation
ward, strangely, I did not fear for my life. I was confident that I
would leave that ward some day. There was an inner sense of calm. I did
not for a second think I would be consumed by the disease. That evening,
the symptoms fully kicked in. I was stooling almost every two hours.
The toilets did not flush so I had to fetch water in a bucket from the
bathroom each time I used the toilet. I then placed another bucket
beneath my bed for the vomiting. On certain occasion I would run to the
toilet with a bottle of ORS, so that as I was stooling, I was drinking.
“The next day Monday 4th of August, I began to notice red rashes on my
skin particularly on my arms. I had developed sores all over my mouth.
My head was pounding so badly. The sore throat was so severe I could not
eat. I could only drink the ORS. I took paracetamol for the pain. The
ward maid across from me wasn’t doing so well. She had stopped speaking.
I couldn’t even brush my teeth; the sores in my mouth were so bad. This
was a battle for my life but I was determined I would not die.
“Every morning, I began the day with reading and meditating on Psalm 91.
The sanitary condition in the ward left much to be desired. The whole
Ebola thing had caught everyone by surprise. Lagos State Ministry of
Health was doing its best to contain the situation but competent hands
were few. The sheets were not changed for days. The floor was stained
with greenish vomitus and excrement. Dr. David would come in once or
twice a day and help clean up the ward after chatting with us. He was
the only doctor who attended to us. There was no one else at that time.
The matrons would leave our food outside the door; we had to go get the
food ourselves. They hardly entered in the initial days. Everyone was
being careful. This was all so new. I could understand, was this not how
we ourselves had contracted the disease? Mosquitoes were our roommates
until they brought us mosquito nets.”
Speaking on her encounter with the late Nurse Justina Ejelonu at the
ward she said, “Later that evening, Dr. David brought another lady into
the ward. I recognized her immediately as Justina Ejelonu, a nurse who
had started working at First Consultants on the 21st of July, a day
after Patrick Saywer was admitted. She was on duty on the day Patrick
reported that he was stooling. While she was attending to him that
night, he had yanked off his drip, letting his blood flow almost like a
tap onto her hands. Justina was pregnant and was brought into our ward
bleeding from a suspected miscarriage. She had been told she was there
only on observation. The news that she had contracted Ebola was broken
to her the following day after results of her blood test came out
positive. Justina was devastated and wept profusely – she had contracted
Ebola on her first day at work.
“My husband started visiting but was not allowed to come close to me. He
could only see me from a window at a distance. He visited so many
times. It was he who brought me a change of clothes and toiletries and
other things I needed because I had not even packed a bag. I was
grateful I was not with him at home when I fell ill or he would most
certainly have contracted the disease. My retreat at my parents’ home
turned out to be the instrumentality God used to shield and save him.”
According to her, when her case began to worsen, her pastor got involved
and every hour they would pray over the phone. She further researched
on Ebola and made the Bible her companion.
“I drank the ORS fluid like my life depended on it. Then I got a call
from my pastor. He had been informed about my predicament. He called me
every single day morning and night and would pray with me over the
phone. He later sent me a CD player, CDs of messages on faith and
healing, and Holy Communion packs through my husband. My pastor, who
also happens to be a medical doctor, encouraged me to monitor how many
times I had stooled and vomited each day and how many bottles of ORS I
had consumed. We would then discuss the disease and pray together. He
asked me to do my research on Ebola since I had my iPad with me and told
me that he was also doing his study. He wanted us to use all relevant
information on Ebola to our advantage. So I researched and found out all
I could about the strange disease that has been in existence for 38
years. My research, my faith, my positive view of life, the extended
times of prayer, study and listening to encouraging messages boosted my
belief that I would survive the Ebola scourge.
