Amid an Ebola outbreak in the country, Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to instruct both local and international carriers to place 46 individuals linked to the index Ebola case on a 21-day no-fly list.
According to a statement shared by Keyamo with reporters, the directive followed a virtual meeting on Wednesday with Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Muhammad Ali Pate to strategize on containing Nigeria’s first confirmed Ebola infection since 2014.
Laboratory testing had previously confirmed on October 20 that the patient contracted the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) indicates that the woman flew from Uganda to Nigeria and developed symptoms four days after her arrival, as noted by the World Health Organization. On October 11, she sought medical care at a private hospital in Abuja.
Although initially managed for suspected malaria, her condition failed to improve. Attending doctors subsequently flagged her travel history, prompting further investigations and diagnostic testing.
During an emergency incident management meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday, Olajumoke Babatunde, NCDC’s Director of Public Health Laboratory Services, confirmed the specific viral strain identified in the patient.
The minister added that preparations were underway to isolate the contacts while health officials monitor them to determine if they have contracted the virus.
Multiple organ failure
In more recent development, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has linked the Bundibugyo Ebola case detected in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to a diplomat who is currently experiencing multi-organ failure.
However, the patient’s name and personal information were not disclosed to the public.
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The recent confirmed case in Nigeria has reignited concerns regarding cross-border transmission amid ongoing Ebola outbreak across parts of Africa. Health authorities, however, are aggressively working to trace secondary contacts and contain the spread.
Nigeria successfully halted a previous Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveler introduced the virus into the country, utilizing a swift and coordinated response centered on rigorous contact tracing, isolation protocols, and public health collaboration.
