NIGERIA has confirmed a case of Ebola virus disease in Abuja, prompting an urgent public health response, as authorities trace 44 close contacts to prevent further transmission.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the case in a statement on Tuesday, October 20, following laboratory confirmation of the infection.
Pate said the patient is a woman who recently travelled from Uganda to Nigeria on an international flight and she reportedly received treatment at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for several days before tests confirmed the infection.
He said the woman had since been isolated and was receiving medical care. The minister noted that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and the FCT Health Services Secretariat were coordinating efforts to contain the infection and prevent further spread.
He also revealed that as part of the response, public health officials had identified 44 close contacts and were investigating possible additional exposures involving healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who might have travelled with the infected woman.
He added that authorities had also intensified disease surveillance and were working with the private hospital to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
Pate urged Nigerians to remain calm and cooperate with public health officials, stressing that public awareness and adherence to safety guidelines would be critical to containing the infection.
He said healthcare facilities across the country had been directed to promptly identify, isolate and report suspected cases while enforcing strict infection prevention and control protocols.
The minister advised members of the public to maintain proper hand hygiene and avoid direct contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola.
Pate said the country would draw on that experience and its existing public health infrastructure to manage the situation, adding that investigations were ongoing.
He explained that members of the public could contact the NCDC through its toll-free telephone line, 6232, for information or to report a suspected case.
According to him, the symptoms of the disease include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, noting that anyone who develops symptoms after possible exposure should avoid close contact with others and seek guidance from public health authorities before visiting a healthcare facility.
He also urged people contacted by disease surveillance teams, including airline passengers who might have been exposed, to cooperate with contact-tracing efforts and comply with official instructions.
The minister said that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, as well as contaminated materials. Infected individuals are not considered contagious before symptoms develop, which can appear between two and 21 days after exposure.
The ICIR reports that Nigeria successfully contained its 2014 Ebola outbreak through rapid detection, isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.
The development comes amid heightened regional concerns over the spread of Ebola.
The ICIR reported that Kenya confirmed its first case on October 6, prompting the NCDC to strengthen preparedness against the possible importation of the Bundibugyo strain into Nigeria.
Nigeria’s disease control agency had, in an October 6 advisory, raised concerns about the risk of importing the infection following a confirmed case in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The World Health Organisation said that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected people, or contaminated objects and surfaces. People infected with the virus do not transmit it before symptoms develop, while the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
Community health practitioner