FG confirms new Ebola outbreak and puts hospitals on alert – THIS UPDATE

Nigeria has recorded a new case of Ebola disease, 12 years after successfully containing the 2014 outbreak, prompting an emergency contact tracing operation in Abuja and strengthening surveillance across the country.

The federal government confirmed the case on Tuesday, October 20, saying the patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, had been admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where she received treatment for several days before laboratory tests confirmed Ebola.

At least 44 close contacts have already been identified and are being traced and monitored as health authorities race to prevent further transmissions. The patient has been isolated and is receiving medical treatment.

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, who announced the confirmation, said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigerian Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the FCT Health Services Secretariat and other relevant authorities have activated measures to contain the infection.

“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 government said.

The patient’s time in hospital before her diagnosis has broadened the scope of the public health response, with officials seeking to identify everyone who may have had relevant contact with her.

In addition to the 44 close contacts already identified, authorities are looking for other potentially exposed people, including healthcare workers, patients, healthcare workers and traveling contacts.

Potentially exposed airline passengers may also be contacted as investigators reconstruct the woman’s journey and movements after her arrival in Nigeria.

The government urged anyone contacted by contact tracing teams to provide accurate information and to comply with monitoring and other public health instructions.

There is so far no indication that any of the 44 identified contacts have tested positive for Ebola, and authorities have not announced community transmission.

With contact tracing underway, the federal government has stepped up surveillance and ordered public and private health facilities nationwide to remain on high alert.

The private hospital where the patient was treated is receiving immediate support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures and limit the possibility of further exposure.

Health workers were asked to maintain a high index of suspicion, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, strictly observe infection prevention and control protocols, and immediately report suspected infections to public health authorities.

The government said early detection would be key to containing the disease and preventing an isolated imported infection from turning into a larger epidemic.

Pate urged Nigerians to remain calm and cooperate with public health authorities by observing basic preventive measures, including regular hand washing and avoiding direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola.

Symptoms associated with the disease include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhea, particularly in people with a possible history of exposure.

“Anyone who develops symptoms should avoid close contact with others and call public health authorities for guidance before visiting a health facility,” the government advised.

The Abuja case comes amid growing concern about the movement of Ebola across borders as health authorities monitor the evolution of the outbreak in the region.

On October 6, the NCDC issued a warning about the risk of importation of the disease following the confirmation of a case of Ebola in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ebola is a serious infectious disease transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, as well as with objects and surfaces contaminated with infected fluids.

An infected person does not transmit the virus before developing symptoms.

The incubation period – the time between infection and the onset of symptoms – ranges from two to 21 days, making prolonged monitoring of identified contacts an important part of efforts to break possible chains of transmission.

Nigeria’s latest Ebola emergency is inevitably reminiscent of the country’s brush with the virus in 2014, when an infected traveler introduced the disease to Lagos during the devastating West African epidemic.

Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in July 2014 while ill and was subsequently admitted to a private hospital.

His case sparked a chain of infections, including among health workers, triggering fears that the disease could spread to Lagos and other parts of the country.

Nigeria ultimately brought the epidemic under control through rapid identification and isolation of infected individuals, aggressive contact tracing, laboratory testing, surveillance, and coordinated intervention by federal and state health authorities.

The World Health Organization subsequently declared Nigeria Ebola-free in October 2014.

This experience remained critical to the country’s epidemic preparedness and response architecture.

Pate said the government has the experience and public health systems needed to respond to the latest case, but stressed that its containment will depend on the cooperation of health institutions, potentially exposed people and the general public.

The federal government said the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, in collaboration with the NCDC and other health authorities, will provide further updates as the investigation progresses.

Members of the public seeking information or wishing to report a suspected case have been advised to contact the NCDC’s toll-free call center on 6232, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.