Medical academy urges Nigerians to avoid handshakes after Ebola case in Abuja
- The Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria has advised Nigerians to avoid handshakes, hugs and other unnecessary physical contact.
- The advisory follows a confirmed Ebola case in Abuja involving a woman who recently arrived from Uganda.
- The academy says Ebola is not airborne and urges calm, handwashing and use of the NCDC toll-free line 6232.
Nigerians should cut back on handshakes, hugs and other unnecessary physical contact for now, the Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria has advised, after a confirmed Ebola case was reported in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The academy issued the advisory on Tuesday in response to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare's announcement of the case. According to the statement, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria from Uganda.
The academy's President, Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie, said Nigerians should stay calm but vigilant. The statement was also signed by the academy's Foundation President, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, and Rapid Response Committee member, Prof. Boaz Adegboro.
The experts commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, and health agencies for isolating the patient, starting contact tracing and stepping up surveillance. They called for high-alert measures across the country, drawing on Nigeria's handling of Ebola in 2014 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
What the public should do
The academy asked Nigerians to wash their hands often with soap and water or use alcohol-based sanitisers. People should avoid contact with the body fluids of sick persons and should not handle the bodies of anyone suspected to have died from Ebola.
It also urged stronger screening at airports, seaports and land borders, especially for travellers from Ebola-affected countries, and the activation of isolation and treatment centres in the states. Health workers were advised to get enough protective equipment and to treat fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea with suspicion, especially in anyone who may have been exposed.
Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed, or who develops symptoms, should contact public health authorities before going to a hospital, the academy said, so that others are not put at risk.
Giwa-Osagie explained that Ebola is not airborne. It spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who already has symptoms, or with materials contaminated by those fluids. A person cannot pass on Ebola before symptoms begin, he said.
He urged Nigerians to cooperate with contact-tracing teams, avoid spreading unverified information and not stigmatise anyone affected. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's toll-free number, 6232, is open round the clock for information or to report suspected cases.
What happens next
The academy wants screening tightened at all entry points and isolation centres activated nationwide. For ordinary Nigerians, the immediate steps are simple: wash your hands, skip unnecessary contact, and call 6232 if you suspect exposure rather than going straight to a clinic.
