Ebola: FG strengthens surveillance, activates airport screening

The Federal Government on Wednesday assured Nigerians that there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola virus disease in the country, saying measures have been activated to strengthen national preparedness and response systems.

Also, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria assured travellers and stakeholders that stringent preventive measures have been activated across international airports following renewed concerns over the Ebola virus disease outbreak.

The reassurance followed recent reports of Ebola outbreaks in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Port Health Services and other relevant agencies, was closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and regional health authorities.

Pate, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, said Nigeria had activated enhanced preparedness measures to strengthen surveillance, early detection and rapid response mechanisms aimed at protecting public health.

“While Nigeria currently has no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease, the Federal Government is taking all necessary proactive measures to strengthen national preparedness, surveillance and coordination mechanisms to protect the health and well-being of all Nigerians,” he said.

He listed ongoing response measures to include enhanced surveillance and monitoring nationwide, strengthened screening and health declaration protocols at points of entry, increased coordination with state ministries of health and improved laboratory preparedness and diagnostic capacity.

The minister added that infection prevention and control measures had also been reinforced across health facilities, alongside intensified public awareness and community engagement activities.

He urged Nigerians to remain calm, avoid spreading misinformation and continue observing preventive measures such as regular hand hygiene and avoiding contact with bodily fluids of persons showing symptoms of illness.

Pate also advised members of the public to promptly report any unusual illness to the nearest health facility.

According to him, healthcare workers across the country have been directed to maintain a high index of suspicion, strictly adhere to infection prevention and control protocols, isolate suspected cases promptly and report through established public health channels.

The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to safeguarding public health and maintaining national health security through coordinated preparedness and rapid response efforts.

He added that the ministry would continue to provide updates as necessary.

Also, FAAN said it had intensified passenger surveillance, health screening and emergency response procedures in collaboration with relevant health agencies to prevent any possible importation of the deadly virus into Nigeria.

FAAN, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, said the agency was working closely with the Port Health Services, NCDC and other stakeholders to strengthen monitoring at airports.

According to the statement, passengers arriving from countries considered high-risk are currently undergoing enhanced screening procedures as officials have been put on alert.

The agency explained that travellers are being screened for symptoms associated with Ebola, adding that any suspected case would immediately be isolated for further examination in line with both national and international health safety protocols.

Agbebire stated that the measures formed part of efforts to reassure Nigerians and the international travelling community that the country’s airports remained safe despite the health concerns emerging from the Central African region.

The statement read, “FAAN wishes to reassure the travelling public and stakeholders that robust preventive measures have been put in place across all international airports in response to the recent Ebola Virus Disease situation in parts of Central Africa.

Passengers are being screened for symptoms associated with Ebola, and any suspected case will be promptly isolated and subjected to secondary health checks in line with established national and international health protocols.”

FAAN also  urged passengers to remain calm, cooperate with health officials during screening procedures and promptly report any symptoms or unusual health conditions while travelling.

While there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola in Nigeria, FAAN remains vigilant and fully committed to safeguarding public health and maintaining safe airport operations,” Agbebire stated.

The heightened surveillance comes as the number of suspected Ebola cases in DRC and Uganda rose to 600, with 139 suspected deaths, according to a report by the World Health Organisation.

The WHO Emergency Committee met in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday, where Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus confirmed to reporters that the virus remained a public health emergency of international concern, but not a pandemic emergency.

“The WHO assess the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels and low at the global level,” Tedros said.

Previous figures reported by DRC officials were an estimated 131 deaths from 513 suspected cases.

The outbreak has arisen just five months after the DRC declared its previous epidemic over.

WHO emergencies chief, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said at the same news conference that the organisation’s “absolute priority now is to identify all the existing chains of transmission

That will then enable us to really define the scale of the outbreak and be able to provide care.”

Tedros first declared the emergency on Sunday and said he had done so without consulting other experts due to the urgency of the situation.

Health authorities say the outbreak is being fuelled by the Bundibugyo strain, a type of Ebola virus for which no vaccine or treatment exists.

Of the 600 suspected cases, the WHO said 51 had been confirmed in the DRC’s northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.

Uganda has also confirmed two cases in Kampala, including one death, from two people who travelled from the DRC to Uganda.

A medical missionary who contracted Ebola in the DRC is also being transported to Germany for treatment.

WHO experts said that they believe the outbreak began a few months ago, with the first suspected death reported on April 20.

After the first death, officials said, a suspected super-spreader event is believed to have taken place at either a funeral or a healthcare facility, though investigations are ongoing.

A European Union spokesperson, Eva Hrncirova, meanwhile, said on Wednesday the risk of an outbreak in Europe is “very low.”

Hrncirova added, “We know that diseases do not stop at the borders, and this is also the case of Ebola.”