The patient’s name and nationality have not been disclosed.
The Director of Public Health Laboratory Service at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Olajumoke Babatunde, disclosed the development at an emergency meeting of the agency in Abuja on Wednesday.
Babatunde said three levels of molecular testing confirmed that the patient had contracted the Bundibugyo strain, the same strain associated with the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“The patient’s condition has deteriorated. We did three levels of tests, but all were molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” she said.
The Federal Government confirmed Nigeria’s first reported Ebola case in the current outbreak on Tuesday, after a woman who arrived from Uganda was admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory and subsequently tested positive.
According to the NCDC, the woman arrived in Nigeria on October 5, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought treatment at the hospital on October 11. Her travel history and failure to respond to malaria treatment prompted doctors to alert health authorities.
The agency has activated its incident-management response, with teams working on case management, enhanced surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, and public risk communication.
The NCDC’s Incident Manager for the National Ebola Disease Response, Dr Odianosen Ehiakhamen, said 44 contacts, mainly healthcare workers and hospital support staff, had been identified for monitoring.
“For the 44 contacts, they are majorly healthcare workers and support staff of the hospital, because everything has happened within the hospital,” he said.
The agency said its incident action plan was being finalised, with response teams already conducting case management and other emergency activities.
FG Assures Nigerians, Warns Against Panic
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, has urged Nigerians to remain vigilant without panicking, assuring them that the government is working to prevent further transmission.
Pate spoke to State House correspondents on Wednesday evening after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said Nigeria was collaborating with Uganda, which is also battling an Ebola outbreak, while health authorities traced contacts of the infected woman and implemented containment measures.
“All I can tell you is that we are collaborating with our sister African nation of Uganda.
“What is important is that we have found this one case.
“We are doing contact tracing, and we are putting containment measures to ensure that it doesn’t go into our population,” the minister said.
Pate said Nigeria had the public health institutions and experience required to manage the situation, recalling the country’s response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
“The Federal Government has competent authorities to deal with this. We have done it in 2014, and we have good public health institutions. Nigerians should be reassured.
“We must be vigilant, but not panic. People should respect public health information from trusted sources and not spread misinformation and false rumours,” he added.
The minister promised regular updates, saying the government would provide accurate information as the situation evolved.
“We will be truthful to Nigerians with the information that we receive on a daily basis. If the situation changes, we will come out and inform Nigerians,” he said.
He added that the NCDC’s incident-management system was operating round the clock, while the Presidential Task Force on Ebola remained active.
Pate said the government had the resources, presidential backing and inter-agency coordination needed to contain the infection, but warned that individuals asked to isolate themselves must comply with public health instructions.
He disclosed that the government would hold another meeting on Thursday to review the situation.
The minister also said Nigeria’s response arrangements, including coordination with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the presidential task force, were being reviewed.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu had directed a review of the country’s Ebola response plan at a National Security Council meeting on October 15.
Aviation Authorities Place 46 Contacts on No-Fly List
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to place 46 persons who reportedly had contact with the infected woman on a no-fly list for 21 days.
Keyamo disclosed this after a virtual meeting with Pate on measures to contain the outbreak.
He said the list comprised 44 people who had contact with the patient at the hospital after she developed symptoms and two domestic staff members.
“Whilst efforts are ongoing to isolate them for now until there is certainty they have not been infected with the virus, the Aviation authorities are required to put them on a no-fly list for at least 21 days,” he said.
Keyamo explained that the period corresponds with the maximum 21-day incubation period generally associated with Ebola.
He directed the NCAA to notify local and international airlines to prevent the listed individuals from travelling by air during the monitoring period.
The minister also ordered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to strengthen surveillance and response measures at international airports across the country.
The measures include enhanced health screening, temperature checks, travel-history tracking, digital health declarations and closer coordination with the NCDC.
FAAN has also begun installing temperature-screening cameras at airports to identify passengers with elevated body temperatures. Passengers flagged by the cameras are expected to undergo further medical assessment, while suspected cases will be isolated for evaluation.
The authority is also providing hand sanitisers and personal protective equipment for frontline workers.
Senate Demands Mandatory Screening at Entry Points
The Senate has urged the Federal Government to introduce mandatory health screening for passengers arriving in Nigeria through international airports, seaports and designated land borders.
The lawmakers also called for emergency funding to strengthen disease surveillance, equip Port Health Services and prepare treatment and isolation centres across the 36 states and the FCT.
The resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Ondo South Senator Francis Faduyile, who warned that the NCDC had rated the risk of importing Ebola into Nigeria as high.
Faduyile recalled that Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak recorded 20 confirmed and probable cases and eight deaths, stressing the importance of early detection, contact tracing and a coordinated response.
The Senate proposed health declaration forms, temperature checks and symptom screening for international arrivals, with enhanced checks for travellers who had visited or transited affected areas within the preceding 21 days.
It also called for exit screening during declared public health emergencies and urged relevant agencies to provide trained personnel, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation facilities at entry points.
The lawmakers further called for the modernisation of the Quarantine Act of 1976 to reflect current public health realities and international standards.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Adamu Aliero said the Ministry of Health had begun implementing several of the proposed measures but cautioned against complacency.
“Virtually all the prayers that have been canvassed, the ministry has started doing them,” he said.
Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno also called for an amendment to the Quarantine Act to bring it in line with current realities.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged relevant agencies to act proactively, warning that a wider outbreak could have serious consequences.
“We have to be proactive; everybody must take part. If it spreads, it will be a major problem,” he said.
The Senate directed its committees on Health, Primary Healthcare, Disease Control, Aviation, Interior and Appropriations to inspect major entry points, engage relevant agencies and report back within four weeks. The Committee on Legislative Compliance was also mandated to monitor implementation.
Reps Call for Release of Outstanding Health Funds
The House of Representatives has also urged the Federal Government to strengthen preventive and emergency medical measures and immediately release outstanding appropriated funds to relevant health agencies.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, Amobi Ogah.
Ogah warned that delays in identifying suspected cases, conducting laboratory tests, isolating infected persons and tracing contacts could increase transmission risks and place additional pressure on the healthcare system.
The House called on the government to mobilise public and private health institutions and place relevant agencies on high alert.
It also urged the Ministry of Finance to release outstanding funds to support surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing and other emergency interventions.
The lawmakers directed the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the NCDC to assess the additional resources required to strengthen the country’s response.
The House Committee on Infectious Diseases was mandated to engage relevant ministries, departments, agencies and public health institutions for updates on the outbreak and report back for further legislative action.
States Activate Emergency Response Measures
Several state governments have announced steps to strengthen surveillance, contact tracing and emergency preparedness following the Abuja case.
In Anambra State, health authorities said they had followed up 40 persons of interest. Of these, 33 had completed their monitoring period and been cleared, while seven remained under active follow-up as of October 20.
Ogun State also said it had monitored 111 persons of interest, all of whom had been discharged after completing the required surveillance period. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, said no Ebola case had been recorded in the state as of October 21.
Niger State has placed its health system on high alert, activated emergency operations and said it was completing an isolation centre.
In Yobe State, the government said surveillance teams, isolation arrangements and contact-tracing mechanisms had been established across all 17 local government areas.
The Director of Public Health in the state Ministry of Health, Dr Nuru Sulaiman Muhammad, said health personnel had been deployed to investigate potential exposure and ensure early detection of suspected cases.
He said isolation centres were available in Bade, Potiskum and Damaturu, covering the state’s three senatorial districts.
Muhammad added that surveillance was being strengthened at land border crossings, while infection prevention materials and public enlightenment campaigns were being deployed across communities.
In Ekiti State, the government has intensified preparedness through laboratory training, surveillance activities, public awareness campaigns and the stockpiling of personal protective equipment.
The state said it had inaugurated an Ebola Virus Disease Technical Working Group, conducted simulation exercises at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, and trained healthcare workers in case management and infection prevention.
It has also trained laboratory personnel in sample collection, handling and transportation, while surveillance teams have received training in disease detection and active case searches.
The Enugu State Government has reactivated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and strengthened surveillance across its 17 local government areas.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof George Ugwu, said surveillance around Akanu Ibiam International Airport was being reinforced in collaboration with Port Health Services and other stakeholders.
“Let me begin by reassuring the people of Enugu State that there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in Enugu State. However, following the recent confirmation of a case in Abuja and the ongoing Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa, it is important that we remain vigilant and adequately prepared,” he said.
The Kano State Centre for Disease Control has also reactivated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and placed it on high alert.
Its Director-General, Prof Muhammad Adamu Abbas, said the state was prepared to respond to any potential threat.
“The Public Health Emergency Operations Centre is fully ready and on high alert. There is no need to panic, but we must all be careful and act quickly,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Delta State residents are awaiting further details on the measures being taken by the state government to guard against a possible spread of the disease.
The US Mission in Nigeria has advised travellers to monitor their health for 21 days after visiting areas affected by Ebola and seek medical guidance if symptoms develop. The United States government has also issued a health alert to its citizens following Nigeria’s confirmation of the case.
WHO Confirms Bundibugyo Strain
The World Health Organisation has urged countries in the region to maintain heightened vigilance to ensure early detection and prevent further transmission.
The Bundibugyo virus is a rare species of the Ebola virus group, first identified during an outbreak in Uganda in 2007.
Ebola can spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms, or through contaminated materials. People identified as contacts are not automatically infected; they are monitored because of possible exposure.
Health authorities have emphasised that early identification of suspected cases, prompt isolation, contact tracing and strict infection prevention and control measures are critical to containing the disease.
The WHO declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on May 16. Figures cited by Newsweek put the DRC’s toll as of October 11 at 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths.
The WHO says there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease. Kenya also confirmed an imported case this month, according to Al Jazeera.
In June, President Tinubu established a task force chaired by Gbajabiamila and approved N10bn for emergency preparedness. Measures announced included tougher airport screening, QR-code health declarations for passengers from high-risk countries and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja airports.
At the task force’s inauguration on June 18, Gbajabiamila said Nigeria had no confirmed cases at the time and warned against a repeat of the circumstances surrounding the country’s previous outbreak.
The current case has renewed the focus on the capacity of federal and state health authorities to detect infections quickly, monitor exposed persons and coordinate an effective response.
The Federal Government has maintained that the case is imported and that containment measures are underway, while urging Nigerians to follow official public health advice, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and avoid spreading misinformation or stigmatising people who may have been exposed.
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