The federal government has assured Nigerians that it has put in place adequate containment strategies to curb the spread of Ebola Virus Disease in the country.
The assurance was given by the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness, Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats after its emergency meeting at the State House on Wednesday.
This is contained in a statement signed on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
On Tuesday, the federal government confirmed a case of Ebola Virus Disease in the FCT, involving a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, who disclosed this, said the patient was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.
He added that the woman has been isolated and is currently receiving medical care, while public health authorities have activated emergency response measures to contain the virus, noting that 44 close contacts have been identified.
According to the statement, the Chairman of the Task Force and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the task force has been working behind the scenes since it was inaugurated in June.
Mr Gbajabiamila said this was why it was easy to detect the index case discovered on Tuesday.
“It’s very important to note this. Since the issue of Ebola came up in June, there have been about 44,000 flights in and out of Nigeria. So, it’s because of what the Ministry of Health, the task force and all the agencies have been doing. All hands have been on deck.
“The passenger with the disease showed no symptoms, which came four days after the woman got into Abuja, and it was the identification process and the protocols that were put in place that enabled the quick identification. That also speaks to the country’s capacity and ability to deal with this disease as best as we can,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that the Task Force would strengthen whatever needed strengthening, the protocols, and ensure more rigorous enforcement moving forward.
“The Task Force is on top of it. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) is on top of it; everyone is on deck. We must build community trust and avoid panic, but it’s also important to state clearly that this is a collaborative effort between the government and the people,” Mr Gbajabiamila said.
He appealed to Nigerians to comply with public health directives.
Also speaking, Mr Pate, said Nigeria has competent health authorities, including private hospital operators and agencies, Immigration, Aviation, Interior, and subnational actors, who have put surveillance systems in place across the country.
“We have been conducting contact tracing diligently and isolating those contacts of the index imported case in this country. We will continue to do that, and we want to reassure Nigerians that the federal government, alongside its technical partners, the World Health Organisation, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, and our own Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, have activated the incident management system across the various pillars.
“They are working day and night diligently, and our hospital capabilities are also activated, such that we can aim to contain this case, as has been the case in other countries, but we will not relent. Our population should respect public health directives,” Mr Pate said.
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He added, “Most of our states have adequate response plans. We have the resources, and we’re mobilising those capabilities. And we’re also confident that if we continue on this path, we should be able to dent this outbreak.”
Mr Pate further urged citizens to avoid misinformation.
“The key also for the population is to avoid spreading misinformation or baseless rumours, which can cause unnecessary panic. The Task Force leadership has met. WHO and AfricaCDC are working closely with the team.
“In addition to our exceptional public health physicians who had successfully tamed this virus in 2014, and had contributed to other countries, we are confident that if we continue in this direction, we will emerge out of this crisis in a much stronger place,” he said.
Other members of the committee at the meeting were the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap; Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku; General Manager (FAAN), Adamu Adamu; WHO Representative, Pavel Ursu; and Special Regional Representative to the Director General, Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Aliko Ahmed.
Others include the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations and Secretary of the Task Force, Oyinade Nathan-Marsh; Public Health Executive, Niniola Williams; Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment, FCT, Dolapo Fasawe; and Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (State House Medical Centre), Victoria Ogala.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole; Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Akin Abayomi; and Director of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards (DOLTS), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Donald Spiff, also joined the meeting via Zoom.
