The doctor who saved an entire nation from Ebola virus is dead

Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, a consultant physician, First Consultants Medical Centre, a Lagos-based hospital, died of Ebola disease Tuesday, August 19.

Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh was the first Nigerian doctor to die from the Ebola virus as a result of an infection when she treated Liberian Patrick Sawyer. But the incredible story is that Dr Adedevoh stopped what would have been a widespread epidemic of the virus in Nigeria.

American-born Liberian Patrick Sawyer was infected with the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) on arrival to Nigeria on July 20. Since then, a total of 12 people have been diagnosed with the virus, four of which have died. All of the infected people were said to have come in contact with Mr Sawyer on arrival to Nigeria. However, so far, it appears Nigeria is winning the fight against Ebola as four patients have recovered, but Dr Adadevoh did not.

The 58-year-old endocrinologist have been undergoing treatment at a medical isolation centre in Lagos after becoming the first Nigerian to contact the virus.

Sawyer came to Nigeria from Monrovia, in Liberia with a United States passport and powerful Government connections behind him.
The Airport security and officials couldn’t have known that he was already infected with the virulent etiological agent for Ebola. What we now know is that according to his medical history, he conveniently did not reveal his recent contact with an Ebola victim, his sister.

Anyone who visits any person infected with the virus in a hospital, or participated in the funeral of a person who died of the disease, is likely infected with Ebola.

Sawyer did not reveal that he was in contact with his sister, Princess, whom he lost to Ebola, on 8th July.

Sawyer visited the hospital immediately on arrival to Nigeria. Courageous Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh instantly arranged for the blood analysis of her patient, quarantined the hospital and stopped anyone else, but herself having access to the patient. As a result she stopped an Epidemic and saved the nation from a deadly virus.

As soon as Sawyer’s blood test came back as positive, she promptly alerted Federal and Lagos State Health Ministries. In so doing she stopped a nationwide spread of the virus, and saved a nation from an epidemic!

She did not give in to the Liberian ECOWAS delegation that pressured her to discharge Mr. Sawyer to attend the “8th Joint Retreat of ECOWAS Institutions, Permanent Representatives and National Units” in Calabar, Nigeria. By denying him medical clearance to proceed to Calabar, she saved Nigeria from an imminent Epidemic. But, she paid a heavy price for the safety of many others in Nigeria and possibly all over the world.