THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reassured Nigerians that there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country, despite recent outbreaks reported in parts of Africa.
In a public health advisory issued yesterday, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the country remains free of the disease but has activated heightened surveillance and emergency preparedness measures to prevent any possible spread.
The Director-General of the agency, Jide Idris, said health authorities are closely monitoring developments following outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a recently confirmed Ebola case in Uganda.
According to the NCDC, the agency is working alongside the Port Health Service under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, as well as other stakeholders, to strengthen vigilance across the country’s public health system.
The agency urged Nigerians to remain calm and avoid spreading false information about the disease.
It also advised the public to maintain preventive measures such as regular hand hygiene and avoiding direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.
Healthcare workers were equally advised to maintain a high level of alertness, particularly when handling patients showing symptoms associated with Ebola alongside relevant travel or exposure history.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency following a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 80 deaths have been recorded.
Concerns intensified after health officials confirmed a case in Goma, a major eastern Congolese city currently under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 militia.
According to Africa CDC, at least 88 deaths and over 330 suspected cases of the highly contagious disease have been reported so far.
Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Director of the Congolese National Institute for Biomedical Research, disclosed that the confirmed case in Goma involved the wife of a man who died of Ebola in Bunia.
He explained that the woman travelled to Goma while already infected.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the outbreak as a serious public health concern, officially declaring it a “public health emergency of international concern,” although he noted that it had not yet reached the level of a pandemic emergency under international health regulations.
