The Federal Government has confirmed an imported case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with 44 contacts identified as health authorities intensify efforts to prevent further spread.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, disclosed this at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, saying laboratory tests confirmed the infection in a woman who recently travelled to Nigeria from Uganda.
According to the minister, the patient returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7, which worsened four days later. She was admitted to a private hospital, where she received treatment before the diagnosis was confirmed.
Pate said the woman is currently in isolation and receiving medical care, while contact tracing and surveillance have been intensified, particularly at the country’s entry points.
The Ministry of Health, FCT Health Secretariat, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners are working together to contain the infection. The minister also urged public and private health facilities to remain vigilant and maintain a high index of suspicion for possible cases.
He advised Nigerians to practise good hygiene, watch out for symptoms such as fever, weakness, headache and diarrhoea, and cooperate with public health officials. He urged the public to remain calm, assuring that the government would provide timely updates.
Pate said Nigeria was drawing on its experience in containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the public health systems established since then to manage the situation.
The confirmation follows Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and reports of cases in Kenya, prompting Nigeria to strengthen its preparedness measures. On October 6, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had said there was no confirmed Ebola case in the country.