Nigeria is the fourth West African
country involved in the outbreak
Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan has declared the
outbreak of Ebola "a national
emergency" and approved more
than $11m (£6.5m) to help contain
it.
The move comes after the World
Health Organization (WHO) said the
spread of the virus in West Africa
was an international health
emergency.
WHO says 961 people have died
from Ebola in West Africa this year,
two of them in Nigeria.
The total number of cases stands
at 1,779, the UN health agency
said.
In a statement, President Jonathan
called on Nigerians to report any
suspected Ebola cases to the
nearest medical authorities.
He also urged the public not to
spread "false information about
Ebola which can lead to mass
hysteria".
Nigeria became the fourth West
African country involved in the
outbreak when a dual US-Liberian
citizen infected with Ebola arrived
in Lagos after flying from Liberia
via Togo on 20 July.
He died five days later and eight
people who came into contact with
him were also later diagnosed with
Ebola. One of them, a nurse, died
on Tuesday.
Nigeria's state oil company said on
Friday it had shut down one of its
clinics in Lagos following a
suspected case.
US health authorities said on Friday
they were sending extra personnel
and resources to Nigeria.
"We are starting to ramp up our
staffing in Lagos," US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
spokesman Tom Skinner told AFP
news agency.
"We are really concerned about
Lagos and the potential for spread
there, given the fact that Lagos -
and Nigeria for that matter - has
never seen Ebola."
International companies are also
taking protective measures and
the world's largest steelmaker,
ArcelorMittal, says it has begun
evacuating some workers at its
iron ore mines in Liberia.
Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
have already declared national
emergencies over the spread of
the virus.
WHO said on Friday that 68 new
cases and 29 deaths were reported
over the course of two days this
week.
They included 26 new cases in
Sierra Leone and 38 in Liberia, but
no new cases in Guinea, where the
outbreak began.
The agency said a co-ordinated
response was essential to reverse
the spread of the virus.
"The possible consequences of
further international spread are
particularly serious in view of the
virulence of the virus," WHO said
after a meeting on Friday.
The Ebola virus was first
discovered in the Democratic
Republic of Congo in 1976. Experts
say this outbreak is unusual
because it started in Guinea, which
has never before been affected,
and is spreading to urban areas.
Two US citizens infected with Ebola
while working in West Africa are
currently being treated at a
hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr Kent Brantly said in a statement
on Friday that he was getting
better every day. The husband of
aid worker Nancy Writebol said she
also appears to be improving.
Both have been treated with an
experimental drug.
country involved in the outbreak
Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan has declared the
outbreak of Ebola "a national
emergency" and approved more
than $11m (£6.5m) to help contain
it.
The move comes after the World
Health Organization (WHO) said the
spread of the virus in West Africa
was an international health
emergency.
WHO says 961 people have died
from Ebola in West Africa this year,
two of them in Nigeria.
The total number of cases stands
at 1,779, the UN health agency
said.
In a statement, President Jonathan
called on Nigerians to report any
suspected Ebola cases to the
nearest medical authorities.
He also urged the public not to
spread "false information about
Ebola which can lead to mass
hysteria".
Nigeria became the fourth West
African country involved in the
outbreak when a dual US-Liberian
citizen infected with Ebola arrived
in Lagos after flying from Liberia
via Togo on 20 July.
He died five days later and eight
people who came into contact with
him were also later diagnosed with
Ebola. One of them, a nurse, died
on Tuesday.
Nigeria's state oil company said on
Friday it had shut down one of its
clinics in Lagos following a
suspected case.
US health authorities said on Friday
they were sending extra personnel
and resources to Nigeria.
"We are starting to ramp up our
staffing in Lagos," US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
spokesman Tom Skinner told AFP
news agency.
"We are really concerned about
Lagos and the potential for spread
there, given the fact that Lagos -
and Nigeria for that matter - has
never seen Ebola."
International companies are also
taking protective measures and
the world's largest steelmaker,
ArcelorMittal, says it has begun
evacuating some workers at its
iron ore mines in Liberia.
Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia
have already declared national
emergencies over the spread of
the virus.
WHO said on Friday that 68 new
cases and 29 deaths were reported
over the course of two days this
week.
They included 26 new cases in
Sierra Leone and 38 in Liberia, but
no new cases in Guinea, where the
outbreak began.
The agency said a co-ordinated
response was essential to reverse
the spread of the virus.
"The possible consequences of
further international spread are
particularly serious in view of the
virulence of the virus," WHO said
after a meeting on Friday.
The Ebola virus was first
discovered in the Democratic
Republic of Congo in 1976. Experts
say this outbreak is unusual
because it started in Guinea, which
has never before been affected,
and is spreading to urban areas.
Two US citizens infected with Ebola
while working in West Africa are
currently being treated at a
hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr Kent Brantly said in a statement
on Friday that he was getting
better every day. The husband of
aid worker Nancy Writebol said she
also appears to be improving.
Both have been treated with an
experimental drug.
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