Nigeria has intensified disease surveillance at hospitals and airports after confirming its first Ebola case in 12 years, as health authorities race to trace potential exposures and prevent the infection from spreading beyond the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed the case on Tuesday, October 20, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in a woman who recently travelled to Nigeria from Uganda. The patient is receiving treatment in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja, while authorities monitor 44 people who may have been exposed to the infection.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has activated its incident management system, while the World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting case investigations, contact tracing and infection prevention measures.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said it had placed major airports nationwide on heightened alert, working with the NCDC, Port Health Services and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to strengthen screening and other public health measures.
The woman reportedly developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and sought medical care at a private hospital in Abuja on October 11. Her infection was confirmed on October 20.
Although she travelled from Uganda, the route does not establish where she contracted the virus. Reports indicate that she had travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for business before transiting through Uganda. Authorities are investigating her movements and possible exposure. Uganda has said it had no active Ebola cases when she travelled through the country.
The infection is linked to the wider outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain declared in the DRC in May. By October 6, the WHO had recorded 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 confirmed deaths there. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the DRC’s confirmed case count had risen to 9,552 by October 20. Kenya has also recorded nine cases, including one death, linked to an imported infection.
Unlike some other Ebola strains, Bundibugyo has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Early detection, supportive medical care and prevention of further transmission are therefore critical.
The health ministry has placed public and private hospitals on high alert, directing clinicians to isolate suspected cases promptly, enforce infection-prevention protocols and report suspected infections immediately.
Surveillance stepped up
The 44 contacts identified so far include health workers, caregivers, other patients at the hospital and people who travelled with the woman. Authorities are working to identify additional people who may have been exposed, including passengers on her flight, and reconstruct her movements before diagnosis.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate has urged Nigerians to remain calm but vigilant, stressing that Nigeria has the experience and public health systems to respond.
“Containing Ebola requires everyone to play their part,” Pate said.
The Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are leading the response. The government is also working with the private hospital to strengthen infection control and protect health workers and other patients who may have come into contact with the woman before her diagnosis.
All public and private health facilities have been placed on high alert. Clinicians have been told to treat any suspicious illness seriously, isolate suspected cases quickly and report them immediately.
FAAN said it was working with health and aviation authorities to strengthen surveillance at the country’s airports. Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport has introduced health declaration forms for arriving passengers.
However, questions remain about how effectively the measures are being implemented. Some travellers told Daily Trust that they completed health declarations through an app but encountered no checks on arrival in Abuja, including temperature screening. The reports raise questions about whether screening procedures are being consistently enforced at a critical point of entry.
The government approved ₦10 billion in emergency funding for Ebola preparedness in June and established a presidential task force to coordinate the response. The government said the money would strengthen the NCDC’s operational readiness and support emergency public health activities.
What the public should know
Early symptoms of Ebola include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea. Because these symptoms can resemble malaria and other infections, including Lassa fever, people with possible exposure should inform health authorities rather than attempt to diagnose themselves.
Symptoms can appear between two and 21 days after exposure. Anyone who may have been exposed and develops symptoms should avoid close contact with others and call public health authorities before going to a hospital.
The NCDC’s toll-free number, 6232, is available around the clock for information and to report suspected cases.
The Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria has advised Nigerians to avoid unnecessary physical contact, including handshakes and hugs, as a precaution. The academy stressed that Ebola is not airborne: it spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or of someone who has died from the disease, as well as through contaminated materials. An infected person does not transmit the virus before symptoms begin.
Lessons from the 2014 outbreak
Nigeria’s last Ebola outbreak began in July 2014, when Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American diplomat infected with the virus, arrived in Lagos. On July 20, he collapsed after arriving at the airport and was taken to First Consultants Medical Centre in Obalende.
Dr Ameyo Adadevoh, who suspected Ebola, resisted pressure to discharge him and kept him isolated. Sawyer died five days later. The infection subsequently spread to health workers and their contacts, reaching Port Harcourt and raising fears that the virus could overwhelm public health systems in two major Nigerian cities.
Nigeria recorded 20 cases, including eight deaths. Adadevoh was among those who died.
The response was widely recognised for its coordination. Authorities established an emergency operations centre, expanded isolation and treatment capacity, mobilised laboratory services and drew on contact-tracing systems developed through Nigeria’s polio-eradication programme.
The WHO reported that 892 contacts were monitored for 21 days during the 2014 response. Contact tracing reached all identified contacts in Lagos and 99.8 per cent in Port Harcourt, helping authorities interrupt transmission.
On October 20, 2014, the WHO declared Nigeria Ebola-free, exactly 12 years before the latest case was confirmed. The declaration followed 42 days without a new case after the last confirmed patient was discharged from hospital.
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