The Federal Government has confirmed a case of Ebola disease in Abuja, with health authorities identifying 44 close contacts and launching a tracing exercise to prevent further transmission.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the development in a statement on Tuesday, October 20, following laboratory confirmation of the infection.
According to the statement, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“A woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed,” the statement noted.
The woman has since been placed in isolation and is receiving medical care.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are coordinating efforts with other relevant authorities to contain the infection.
Public health teams have begun monitoring the 44 identified contacts while working to establish whether other people, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and fellow travellers, may have been exposed to the virus.
Authorities have also stepped up disease surveillance and are providing immediate support to the hospital where the woman was treated to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
The government has directed public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to remain vigilant.
Healthcare workers have been urged to identify and isolate suspected cases promptly, follow strict infection prevention protocols and immediately report suspected infections to public health authorities.
Pate advised Nigerians to remain calm and observe basic preventive measures, including regular handwashing and avoiding contact with the blood or other body fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola.
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He identified fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea as symptoms to watch for, particularly among people who may have been exposed to the infection.
“Anyone who develops symptoms should avoid close contact with others and call public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility,” the statement advised.
The government also appealed to people contacted by public health officials during the tracing exercise, including airline passengers who may have been exposed, to provide the necessary information and comply with official instructions.
The confirmation comes amid concerns about the spread of Ebola in the region. In an advisory issued on October 6, the NCDC warned of the risk of importing the disease following a confirmed case in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected people, as well as contaminated objects and surfaces.
People infected with the virus do not transmit it before symptoms develop, while the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller introduced the virus into the country.
The response involved rapid identification and isolation of cases, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.
Reassuring Nigerians, Pate said the country had the experience and public health systems needed to respond to the confirmed case.
However, he stressed that public cooperation would be essential to preventing further transmission.
The Federal Government said investigations were continuing and that the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, working alongside the NCDC, would provide further updates.
Members of the public can call the NCDC’s toll-free line on 6232, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for information or to report a suspected case.