Contrary to the belief by some people that Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a death sentence, five Nigerians have now defeated the disease and have returned home after successfully undergoing treatment in the country’s former capital, Lagos.

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, confirmed this yesterday, disclosing that four additional confirmed cases of Ebola have been managed successfully, are now free of the disease and have been discharged.

He said that those discharged are two male medical doctors and one female nurse. The three, according to the minister, participated in the treatment of the index case while the fourth person was a female patient at the time the index case was on admission.

News Express recalls that Prof. Chukwu had last Saturday broken the good news that the first Nigerian Ebola patient had been declared fit and discharged from hospital.

Ebola was brought into Nigeria last month by late Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer and has claimed three Nigerian lives. It has, however, been aggressively combated by the Nigerian Government, which has declared a state of emergency over the disease.

•Photo shows Health Minister, Prof. Chukwu.