Ebola: FG Quarantines High-Risk Contacts, Says No Community Spread Detected
The Federal Government has said there is no evidence of community transmission of Ebola in Nigeria, assuring citizens that efforts are underway to contain the country’s confirmed case of the disease.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists on the government’s response to the outbreak.
Pate said health authorities had placed high-risk contacts under quarantine and were monitoring other people who might have been exposed to the virus.
He added that the patient, a woman who recently travelled to Nigeria from Uganda, was showing significant signs of recovery.
“I spoke with the clinicians today, and I understand that the laboratory results show significant improvement. There is a possibility that she will recover fully. However, we cannot take anything for granted,” the minister said.
According to him, the case is being treated as an imported infection, while contact tracing has been extended to people who interacted with the patient, including healthcare workers, caregivers, patients and travel contacts.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has activated its incident management system to coordinate the response in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration and other relevant agencies.
Pate said the government was also strengthening surveillance, hospital preparedness and infection prevention measures to prevent further transmission.
FG mobilises states, strengthens preparedness
The minister disclosed that all state governments had been notified of the outbreak, while those yet to complete their Ebola response plans had been directed to do so urgently.
He said President Bola Tinubu had released additional funds to support the NCDC’s response capacity.
The government was also working with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the National Economic Council and other relevant institutions to coordinate preparedness efforts nationwide.
Pate said Nigeria had the necessary experience and public health expertise to manage the situation, recalling the country’s successful containment of the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
Border screening, hospital surveillance intensified
The Federal Government has also stepped up measures at the country’s points of entry, including strengthening port health services and screening procedures for travellers.
Pate said federal hospitals had been directed to ensure adequate isolation facilities, bed capacity and strict infection prevention and control measures.
He urged state governments to ensure that public and private healthcare facilities were prepared to identify and report suspected cases promptly.
The minister also called for closer cooperation between private medical facilities and public health authorities, noting that the patient had visited a private hospital before the infection was confirmed.
Government warns against panic
Pate urged Nigerians to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information and follow guidance from recognised public health authorities.
He explained that Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials.
The minister advised anyone who develops symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting or diarrhoea, particularly after possible exposure, to contact public health authorities for guidance.
He also urged people identified as contacts to cooperate with health officials and comply with quarantine or isolation instructions.
The government said it would continue to provide updates as investigations and contact tracing progress, stressing that preventing further transmission remains its immediate priority.
