BREAKING: Nigeria Confirms Ebola Case in Abuja
According to the minister, the woman returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7, which worsened four days later before laboratory tests confirmed the infection.
The Federal Government has confirmed an imported case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, following laboratory tests.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate disclosed this on Tuesday during a media briefing in Abuja saying the patient is a woman who recently travelled to Uganda in East Africa.
According to the minister, the woman returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7 which worsened four days later before laboratory tests confirmed the infection.
The patient was initially admitted to a private hospital where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was established.
She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care while health authorities have commenced contact tracing to prevent further spread of the virus.
Pate said 44 contacts had already been identified, adding that surveillance was being strengthened at the country's entry points.
He explained that the Federal Ministry of Health, the FCT Health Secretariat, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners were working together to contain the infection.
The minister urged public and private health facilities to remain vigilant and maintain a high index of suspicion for possible Ebola cases, particularly among patients presenting with relevant symptoms.
He also called on Nigerians to remain calm, practise good hygiene and watch out for symptoms such as fever, weakness, headache and diarrhoea.
Pate assured the public that the government was managing the situation and would provide timely and transparent updates as containment efforts continued.
He added that Nigeria was drawing on its experience in containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak, alongside public health systems established over the years to prevent further transmission.
The confirmation comes amid Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and reported cases in Kenya raising concerns about the international spread of the disease through travel and population movement.
Following the outbreaks, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had earlier heightened surveillance and reviewed the country's preparedness measures.
As of October 6, the NCDC had stated that there was no confirmed case of Ebola in Nigeria.
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