Ebola: FG quarantines high-risk contacts as patient shows signs of recovery

The Federal Government says it has intensified measures to contain Nigeria’s confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), placing high-risk contacts in quarantine and monitoring other contacts

The government has also sought to reassure Nigerians that there is no evidence of community transmission, while announcing that the index patient is showing significant signs of recovery.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, expressed optimism that the patient could recover fully but said the government would not take anything for granted.

However, the minister did not disclose the number of contacts classified as high-risk or confirm whether any of the 46 identified contacts had tested positive for the virus.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had on Wednesday directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to place the 46 contacts on a no-fly list. They comprise 44 people who came into contact with the patient at a hospital after she developed symptoms and two members of her domestic staff.

Keyamo, in a statement posted on his verified X account following a virtual meeting with Pate, said he had also directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to notify domestic and international airlines of the restriction.

The measure is intended to prevent the contacts from travelling by air while they remain within the period during which symptoms could develop following exposure. Efforts are also ongoing to isolate the individuals until they are cleared of infection.

The government has ordered increased Ebola surveillance at international airports, including temperature screening, travel history checks, digital health declarations and improved coordination with public health authorities.

Patient showing signs of recovery

Speaking at a briefing in Abuja, Pate said the patient’s travel history indicated that the infection was imported. She was reportedly asymptomatic when she arrived in Nigeria but developed symptoms several days later.

He said contact tracing had covered people at the hospital where she received treatment, her domestic contacts and a private medical facility she had visited.

High-risk contacts have been placed in quarantine at a designated facility, while other contacts are being monitored in line with public health guidelines.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has activated its incident management system in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

“I spoke with the clinicians today, and I understand that the laboratory results show significant improvement. There is a possibility that she will recover fully. However, we cannot take anything for granted.

“We currently have one confirmed case, and our priority is to contain it and prevent transmission into communities or a wider outbreak,” Pate said.

The government has informed state governments and directed those yet to complete their Ebola response plans to do so urgently.

Additional resources have also been mobilised to strengthen the NCDC’s capacity, while the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats has intensified coordination.

The chairman of the task force and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said Nigeria’s surveillance system had enabled the early identification of the case.

Gbajabiamila said the patient had no symptoms when she arrived in Abuja, with symptoms emerging four days later. He attributed the detection to protocols established by the Ministry of Health, the task force and other relevant agencies.

He assured Nigerians that the task force would strengthen existing protocols and ensure stricter enforcement, urging citizens to cooperate with public health authorities.