The Federal Government says it is working with Uganda to prevent the spread of Ebola Virus Disease following the confirmation of an imported case in Nigeria.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday after a meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Pate said health authorities had commenced contact tracing and activated containment measures to prevent further transmission of the virus.
“We are collaborating with our sister African nation of Uganda. What is important is that we have found this one case. We are doing contact tracing, and we are putting containment measures to ensure that it doesn’t go into our population,” he said.
The minister urged Nigerians to remain vigilant without resorting to panic, assuring them that the country had the expertise and public health institutions required to manage the situation.
According to him, Nigeria successfully handled an Ebola outbreak in 2014 and could draw on that experience to contain the current case.
“The Federal Government has competent authorities to deal with this. We have done it in 2014, and we have good public health institutions. Nigerians should be reassured,” Pate said.
He also cautioned the public against spreading unverified information, urging Nigerians to rely on trusted sources for updates on the outbreak.
The minister said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had activated its incident management system and was working round the clock, while the Presidential Task Force on Ebola remained operational.
He added that the government would continue to provide updates as more information became available.
“We will be truthful to Nigerians with the information that we receive on a daily basis. If the situation changes, we will come out and inform Nigerians,” he said.
Pate described the confirmed case as an imported infection that had been detected and was being managed by health authorities. He, however, stressed that effective containment would require cooperation from members of the public, particularly adherence to isolation instructions.
The minister said the government could not prevent individuals placed under isolation from violating the restrictions and moving around in public places.
He also disclosed that the country’s response arrangements were being reviewed in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other relevant agencies.
The confirmed case involves a woman who recently returned to Nigeria from Uganda. According to Pate’s earlier announcement, laboratory tests confirmed the infection on Tuesday.
The woman reportedly developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention at a private hospital on October 11. She is said to be stable and receiving care in isolation, while 44 contacts are being monitored.
The World Health Organisation identified the virus as the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The WHO declared the outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on May 16.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu established a Presidential Task Force on Ebola in June and approved N10bn for emergency preparedness.
The measures include enhanced airport screening, health declarations for travellers arriving from high-risk countries and isolation facilities at the Lagos and Abuja airports.
Pate said the government would continue to strengthen its response while urging Nigerians to avoid misinformation and comply with public health directives.
