NCDC Reacts To Ebola Outbreak, Activates Emergency Surveillance

Nigeria’s public health authorities say there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in the country, amid growing concerns over fresh outbreaks reported in parts of Africa.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, made this known in a public health advisory issued by its Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, following recent Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a confirmed case in neighbouring Uganda.

Dr. Idris said Nigeria remains free of the disease but noted that the agency had activated emergency surveillance measures in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including the Port Health Service under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, to strengthen preparedness and vigilance across the country.

According to the advisory, healthcare workers have been urged to maintain a high level of suspicion in patients showing symptoms associated with Ebola, especially those with recent travel history or possible exposure to infected persons. 

The NCDC also advised Nigerians to remain calm, avoid spreading misinformation, maintain regular hand hygiene, and avoid contact with bodily fluids of sick persons.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization, WHO, has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency of international concern after more than 80 deaths and over 300 suspected cases were reported. WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the situation was deeply concerning, especially after a confirmed case emerged in the eastern Congolese city of Goma. 

According to AFP reports cited by Channels Television, the infected patient was the wife of a man who died of Ebola in Bunia and travelled to Goma while already infected.