MEET HER...The Woman Dr. Adadevoh: More Details Emerge Of How 'Heroic' Doctor Who Died Of Ebola Helped To Control Spread Of Deadly Virus

A female consultant physician at the First Consultant Hospital, Lagos who participated in the treatment of Late Patrick Sawyer who died of Ebola Virus Disease is dead.

She was confirmed dead by Health Minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu on Tuesday night.

Dr. Stella Shade Ameyo Adadevoh, 58, was the first Nigerian to contract Ebola virus after treating Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer.

Sawyer arrived in Nigeria aboard ASky airlines plane on July 20. He took ill on the flight from Lome, Togo and was taken to the First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, Lagos. He was diagnosed with Ebola when the results of his tests came after two days of treatment.

The late Dr. Adadevoh was an endocrinologist at the First Consultant Hospital. She was the most senior of the medical team that attended to sawyer.

She showed symptoms of Ebola infection a few days after Mr. Sawyer died and had been in isolation in Yaba, Lagos where she was being treated.

Her colleagues and friends last week raised the alarm that her condition was deteriorating.

They called for better attention and for the procurement from the United States of the ZMapp experimental drug.

They described Dr. Adadevoh efforts at saving the life of Sawyer and preventing the spread of Ebola in the country as “heroic”.

Managing Director of Health Management Organisation (HMO) Dr. Ladi Okuboyejo described the late Dr Adadevoh as a patriot who could have treated the late Sawyer for malaria and allowed him to go when he requested to be discharged. He said she decided to take the case to the government to save the country from an epidemic.

He said: 

“It is important that we reflect and try and see how things happened. I am a medical doctor and I am surprised that they made the diagnosis in the first instance because this is a man that could have gone somewhere else and could have been treated for malaria and he could have died and spread the virus like wild fire. However, the chief consultant that attended to these patients, who is also being quarantined right now, felt it was very necessary for them to send the blood sample for screening after which it was confirmed and she insisted he must not leave the hospital.
“So I think we must get the facts right and really come out. We are particularly concerned that if someone could be so patriotic as to save millions of Nigerians from the hardship of this pestilence, the least we can do is to make an appeal to the international community for assistance.”

The late Dr. Adadevoh was the first grandchild of Mrs Sarah Idowu Abigail Adadevoh nee Macaulay, making her a great granddaughter of the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay described as the founder of Nigerian nationalism.

Her Father was Prof. Babatunde Kwaku Adadevoh, who was a grandson of the grand old man of Nigerian anti-colonial politics. He was also a physician.

A true hero who died in the line of duty. May her soul rest in peace, Amen.