FG Confirms Ebola Case In Abuja, Identifies 44 Contacts
The Federal Government has confirmed a case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and identified 44 close contacts as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, announced the development in a statement on Tuesday following laboratory confirmation of the case.
According to the minister, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She was reportedly admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.
Pate said the patient had been placed in isolation and was receiving medical care, while relevant health authorities had commenced measures to contain the infection.
He explained that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the FCT Health Services Secretariat and other relevant agencies were working together to prevent further spread of the disease.
The minister disclosed that contact tracing had begun, with 44 close contacts identified so far. Those being traced and monitored include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts who may have been exposed to the infected woman.
He added that surveillance had been intensified and that the hospital where the patient was treated was receiving immediate support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
Pate urged public and private healthcare facilities across the country to remain vigilant and maintain a high level of suspicion for possible Ebola cases.
He advised healthcare workers to promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, observe strict infection prevention and control procedures, and immediately report suspected infections to public health authorities.
The minister also appealed to Nigerians to remain calm and vigilant, recalling that the country successfully contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014.
He said Nigeria had the experience and public health systems required to respond to the current case, stressing that cooperation among citizens and relevant authorities would be crucial to containing the infection.
According to him, the Federal Government, FCT authorities and other partners were working to protect healthcare workers, patients and the general public, while investigations into the case continued.
Pate urged Nigerians to remain alert, report suspected cases promptly and cooperate with public health officials, noting that early detection and timely reporting were essential to preventing further transmission.
He added that the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and the NCDC, would continue to provide updates on the situation.
The minister also disclosed that the NCDC’s toll-free call centre was available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, urging members of the public to call 6232 for information or to report a suspected case.
The latest confirmation comes months after the Federal Government assured Nigerians in May that no confirmed Ebola case had been recorded in the country, following reports of outbreaks in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
In June, the NCDC also maintained that Nigeria had no confirmed Ebola cases at the time. The agency’s Director-General, Jide Idris, had earlier stated that the country was 59 per cent prepared for a potential Ebola outbreak.
Earlier in October, Kenyan authorities confirmed the country’s first case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease, adding to regional concerns over the spread of the disease.