FG says Nigeria's single Ebola case is contained, urges calm
- Health minister Muhammad Pate says Nigeria is working with Uganda to trace contacts of the one confirmed Ebola case.
- Pate says the patient is an imported case, stable and in isolation, with 44 contacts being monitored.
- Health experts at a conference in Osogbo say panic would do more harm than the virus itself.
The Federal Government says the country's single confirmed Ebola case is under control and Nigerians have no reason to panic, as health authorities trace everyone who came into contact with the patient.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Pate gave the assurance on Wednesday evening at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, after meeting the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Pate said the patient is a woman who recently flew into Nigeria from Uganda. Her symptoms started on October 7 and she sought care at a private hospital on October 11. She is stable and in isolation, and 44 contacts are being monitored.
He said Nigeria is working with Uganda on the response and that containment steps are in place to stop the virus reaching the wider population.
Why it matters
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person, and the World Health Organisation says there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain involved in this outbreak. That makes early detection and contact tracing the main defence.
Pate said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is running an incident management system round the clock, and the Presidential Task Force on Ebola, set up by President Bola Tinubu on June 9 with ₦10bn for emergency preparedness, remains active.
He pointed to 2014, when Nigeria stopped an imported Ebola case from spreading, as proof the country can handle it again. "We must be vigilant, but not panic," he said, asking Nigerians to rely on trusted health sources and avoid spreading rumours.
The minister said he would receive a report on the case and that the government would meet again on Thursday. "If the situation changes, we will come out and inform Nigerians," he said.
He also said the government cannot control people who are asked to isolate but go out instead, and urged anyone with symptoms or contact with a case to follow instructions.
There is a disagreement to note: Ugandan authorities have been reported as saying their country has no Ebola case, even though the Nigerian patient is said to have travelled from there. Asked about this, Pate would only say Nigeria is collaborating with Uganda.
Experts: educate, don't panic
At the 11th National Conference on Environment and Health in Osogbo, Osun State, health experts said fear could cause more harm than the virus.
Joshua Ojo, a professor at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said Ebola is not airborne and a person is not contagious until symptoms appear. "Panic itself can be part of the problem," he said, calling for public education instead.
Isaac Akinwumi of the Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria, South-West Zone, said the country contained Ebola in 2014 by pulling stakeholders together and can do it again quickly.
What happens next: The task force meets again on Thursday, and the government has promised daily updates. Nigerians should watch for official information from the NCDC and report any symptoms to a health facility.
