There was jubilation at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife in Osun State as the authorities barred students from Liberia and other West African countries hit by the Ebola virus from returning to the institution for now.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bamitale Omole, who said this at a press conference on Thursday, also announced that the result of the tests carried out on the blood sample of a female student of the university was negative.
The student, who took ill in the university was a secondary contact of the Port Harcourt, Rivers State doctor, Iyke Enemuo, who died of the EVD recently.
He said, “We have asked some foreign students not to resume. Students from Liberia have been asked not to resume and they have not resumed.”
The Vice-Chancellor added that the institution authorites had bought infrared thermometers to measure temperature of students and staff as another measure to make the OAU Ebola free.
He also said that an EVS Surveillance and Monitoring unit where suspected cases of the EVD could be reported had been established.
Omole said that the female student whose blood sample was tested walked to the university’s Health Centre and volunterred information about her contact with the late doctor.
Omole added that he contacted the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyeabuchi Chukwu, after which a special ambulance was sent to evacuate her from the OAU to Lagos.
The vice-chancellor said, “Sequel to an earlier release on a female student of the OAU , who was suspected to have been a secondary contact with EVD and who was sent to the Ebola Isolation Centre in Lagos for further clinical and laboratory investigation, the university authorities are happy to announce that the result of the preliminary and confirmatory tests proved negative.
“The university authorities therefore wish to inform the university community and the general public that the preliminary results and the confirmatory tests proved negative.
“Consequently, this university is EVD free.
“Therefore, everyone is enjoined to go about their normal activities freely without fear or panic. However, as prevention is better than cure, members of the university community and the general public are advised to maintain standard hygenic precautionary measures as established by the university Ebola Surveillance Committee.”
The vice-chancellor said that the student who was still in Lagos would resume soon and nobody would stigmatise her.