Ebola: FG bars 46 contacts of infected patient from air travel for 21 days

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to place 46 people who had contact with Nigeria’s latest Ebola patient on a no-fly list for 21 days.

The directive is part of efforts to prevent the spread of the disease following the confirmation of Nigeria’s first Ebola case since 2014.

Keyamo said the NCAA had been instructed to notify both local and international airlines about the restriction to ensure that the identified individuals do not travel by air during the 21-day period.

The minister disclosed this in a statement shared with our correspondent, explaining that the directive followed a virtual meeting on Wednesday with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.

According to Keyamo, Pate provided details of the 46 individuals identified during contact-tracing investigations involving the confirmed Ebola patient.

According to Keyamo, 44 of the identified contacts had interacted with the patient at the hospital where she sought treatment after developing symptoms, while two others were her domestic staff.

“He shared with me a list of 44 persons with whom the affected person came in contact at the hospital when she had developed the symptoms and an additional two persons who are her domestic staff,” Keyamo said.

He explained that the restriction was necessary while health authorities worked to establish whether the identified contacts had contracted the virus.

“Whilst efforts are ongoing to isolate them for now until there is certainty they had not been infected with the virus, the aviation authorities are required to put them on a no-fly list for at least 21 days,” the minister stated.

He added, “I have therefore directed the NCAA to immediately inform all local and international airlines of this development.”

Keyamo also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to intensify Ebola surveillance and response measures at all international airports to reduce the risk of further transmission.

He said measures being implemented by FAAN included enhanced health screening, temperature checks, travel-history tracking, digital health declarations and closer coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

The measures, according to the minister, followed regional outbreak alerts and formed part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness against the disease.

Patient diagnosed with Bundibugyo strain

The index patient was diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease after laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the woman had recently travelled from Uganda to Nigeria. Her symptoms reportedly began on October 7, four days after her arrival, and she sought treatment at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11.

Reports from the NCDC indicated that the patient was initially treated for symptoms resembling malaria, but her condition failed to improve. Her travel history subsequently raised suspicion among attending doctors, prompting further investigations and laboratory testing.

The Director of Public Health Laboratory Services at the NCDC, Olajumoke Babatunde, confirmed the strain detected in the patient during an emergency incident management meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

“We did three levels of tests, but all were molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” Babatunde said.

Another official at the meeting disclosed that the patient was a diplomat whose condition had deteriorated into “multi-organ failure”. Her nationality has not been officially disclosed.

Pate had earlier said the patient was receiving medical care in isolation, while health authorities intensified contact tracing and other containment measures.

The WHO also confirmed the Bundibugyo virus infection, noting that there was no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the strain.

The organisation said investigations were ongoing to determine the likely source of infection and reconstruct the patient’s full travel and exposure history.

WHO, partners support containment efforts

The WHO and other partners are supporting Nigerian health authorities with case investigations, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, and the provision of essential supplies, including personal protective equipment for health workers.

The organisation has urged countries in the region to strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory testing, rapid-response capacity and monitoring at points of entry to limit the risk of cross-border transmission.

Ebola virus disease spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who is symptomatic, as well as contact with contaminated materials.

Its incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, making the identification and monitoring of exposed persons critical to containing transmission.

The 21-day restriction directed by Keyamo corresponds to the maximum incubation period of the disease. However, placement on a no-fly list is a precautionary measure and does not, by itself, establish that the affected contacts have contracted the virus.

Nigeria last recorded an Ebola outbreak in 2014, when an infected traveller introduced the virus into the country. Public health authorities contained the outbreak through isolation, contact tracing and coordinated response measures.

The latest case has renewed concerns about the risk of cross-border transmission amid the outbreak in parts of Africa.

For the current response, health authorities are prioritising the monitoring of identified contacts, investigations into possible additional exposures, infection prevention at the facility where the patient received treatment, and heightened surveillance at airports and other points of entry.

The effectiveness of these measures will depend on timely contact tracing, compliance with public health directives and continued coordination among aviation authorities, health agencies and international partners.

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