The Federal Government has confirmed an imported case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with health authorities identifying 44 contacts and initiating measures to prevent further transmission.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Pate announced the development at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, saying laboratory tests confirmed the infection in a woman who had recently travelled to East Africa, particularly Uganda. According to the minister, the patient returned to Nigeria on October 7 with symptoms that worsened four days later.
The woman was initially admitted to a private hospital, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed, according to a government statement. She is now in isolation and receiving medical care, while contact tracing continues and surveillance is being strengthened at Nigeria’s points of entry.
The Federal Ministry of Health, the FCT Health Secretariat, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners are coordinating the response. Pate urged public and private health facilities to maintain a high level of vigilance, while advising Nigerians to practise good hygiene, remain alert to symptoms such as fever, weakness, headache and diarrhoea, and cooperate with public health officials. He said the government was drawing on lessons from Nigeria’s successful response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
The confirmation follows an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and reported cases in Kenya, developments that had prompted the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to strengthen preparedness and surveillance. On October 6, the NCDC had said Nigeria had no confirmed Ebola cases. Pate said the government would continue providing updates as containment efforts progress.
