The Federal Government has quarantined high-risk contacts of Nigeria’s imported Ebola virus disease case and isolated other identified contacts as part of intensified efforts to prevent the disease from spreading into communities.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, October 23 at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Nigeria's Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Muhammad Pate disclosed that the infected patient was responding to treatment, with laboratory results indicating significant improvement, raising hopes of recovery.
However, Pate cautioned that the situation remained serious and required sustained vigilance, strict adherence to public health guidelines and cooperation from Nigerians.
Speaking on the national response to the outbreak, Prof Ali Pate said the patient had been asymptomatic on arrival in Nigeria but developed symptoms a few days later, as earlier reported by the authorities.
Pate said contact tracing commenced immediately after the case was confirmed, covering contacts at the hospital where the patient was treated, domestic contacts and a private health facility she had visited.
According to him, the contacts were categorised into high-risk and low-risk groups, with high-risk individuals placed under quarantine in a designated facility, while others were isolated under public health supervision.
He stressed that the authorities were monitoring compliance with quarantine and isolation requirements in line with established public health guidelines.
The Health Minister said it had activated the incident management system to coordinate the national response, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) serving as the focal point for day-to-day operational activities in line with the International Health Regulations.
"The response is being coordinated with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where the case was identified, to ensure effective collaboration among relevant authorities." The Minister pointed out.
Prof Pate disclosed that the Federal Government had intensified consultations at the highest levels of government, including briefings to the Presidential Task Force, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the National Economic Council, chaired by the Vice-President.
He added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Vice-President had directed the authorities to keep Nigerians regularly informed about developments.
"All state governments have also been notified, while those yet to complete their Ebola response plans have been urged to do so without delay." He said.
According to Pate, "resources had been made available to strengthen the response, including additional funding released by the President to support the NCDC’s operations.
"The funding is expected to enhance domestic mobilisation of resources and ensure that the country is adequately prepared to contain the outbreak.
He emphasised that coordination with state governments remained critical, disclosing that a meeting involving state commissioners for health and information was scheduled to ensure a unified approach to public communication and response efforts.
He said the Federal Government was adopting a whole-of-government strategy, with the Ministry of Aviation and other relevant agencies actively involved in the response.
The Coordinating Minister of Health also expressed confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to manage the situation, citing the country’s ability to diagnose the infection within 24 hours of notification by public health authorities and promptly notify the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"As part of efforts to deepen scientific understanding of the infection, the authorities are exploring genomic sequencing of the virus." Pate noted.
He further revealed that the federal government has also sought the support of Professor Christian Happi, a renowned genomics expert at Redeemer’s University, Ede, to complement the work of the NCDC and strengthen confirmation and analysis of findings.(Naij News Alert)
