THE Federal Government has confirmed a case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), prompting the activation of public health measures to contain the infection and prevent further spread.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said the imported case was confirmed through laboratory testing.
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Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Pate said the patient was a woman with a recent travel history to East Africa, particularly Uganda, who returned to Nigeria with symptoms on September 7. He said the symptoms progressed four days later before tests confirmed the infection.
The minister said the patient was currently in isolation and receiving medical care, while contact tracing had commenced, with 44 contacts already identified. He added that surveillance was being strengthened at the country’s entry points.
“The patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was admitted to a private hospital… where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed,” a government statement said. “She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.”
Pate explained that the Ministry of Health, the FCT Health Secretariat, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and other partners were working together to contain the infection and prevent further spread.
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He urged public and private health facilities to remain on high alert, stressing that health workers must maintain a high index of suspicion for possible cases.
The minister also called on Nigerians to remain calm and vigilant.
He advised members of the public to practise good hygiene, watch out for symptoms including fever, weakness, headache and diarrhoea, and cooperate with public health officials.
Pate maintained that the situation was being managed, with the government pledging to provide timely and transparent updates as efforts continued to contain the virus.
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He said the government was drawing on Nigeria’s experience in containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the public health mechanisms established over the years. He added that all identified contacts were being traced and monitored.
Monday’s announcement came following the outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and the confirmation of Ebola cases in Kenya.
