morganable news/public Health
The minister explained that the Federal Government was coordinating its response through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, with technical support from the World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
KaNo—
The Federal Government has directed hospitals across the country to prepare isolation facilities, increase bed capacity and strengthen infection prevention measures as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
This came as the government expressed concern that 15 states had yet to update their Ebola preparedness and response plans, warning that delays could undermine efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on the government’s response to the outbreak.
Pate said health facilities nationwide had been instructed to make adequate provisions for suspected cases, strengthen surveillance and ensure that frontline health workers were properly trained and protected against infection.
He explained that the directive was part of measures to prevent the confirmed imported case in Abuja from developing into widespread community transmission.
“We have notified all our hospitals to make room for bed capacity, isolation, and prepare their health workers in terms of infection prevention in these cases, because health workers are on the front lines,” Pate said.
The minister also informed the National Economic Council that 21 states had accelerated their preparedness activities and strengthened their capacity to respond to possible infections.
He, however, urged the remaining 15 states to urgently update their response plans and establish the necessary mechanisms for detecting and managing suspected cases.
The council received the update during its 161st meeting, held virtually and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, Pate assured council members that Nigeria possessed the institutional capacity to contain the outbreak.
The minister explained that the Federal Government was coordinating its response through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, with technical support from the World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
He said the government’s immediate priority was to prevent further infections through contact tracing, early detection, surveillance and adequate preparation of healthcare facilities.
“We don’t want it to go beyond it, and there is no need to panic, but we have to be vigilant,” he said.
Pate noted that the response extended beyond identifying individuals who had come into contact with the infected woman, stressing that hospitals must also be equipped to isolate and manage additional suspected cases.
He explained that healthcare workers remained particularly vulnerable during outbreaks because their responsibilities frequently brought them into direct contact with infected patients.
According to him, strict compliance with infection prevention and control measures is necessary to protect medical personnel and prevent healthcare facilities from becoming centres of transmission.
The minister disclosed that the government had activated its incident management system, with the NCDC coordinating operational activities alongside the FCT authorities and other relevant agencies.
He added that the Federal Government was engaging state governments to ensure that preparedness measures were implemented nationwide rather than concentrated in Abuja.
Pate said most states already had response plans developed with guidance from the NCDC, but acknowledged that some had not completed the necessary preparations.
“Most of the states have already response plans, which were developed with the guidance of the NCDC. Those that have not finished their response plans, we’ve asked them to quickly finish their response plans,” he said.
He stressed that effective coordination between federal and state authorities would be essential to ensuring prompt identification, reporting, isolation and management of suspected infections.
The minister further disclosed that the government would meet with state commissioners of health on Friday to review preparedness levels and strengthen coordination.
He said commissioners of information would also participate in the engagement to ensure that public communication remained consistent and that Nigerians received accurate information about the outbreak.
Pate particularly urged private healthcare providers to strengthen disease surveillance, maintain appropriate infection prevention standards and promptly notify public health authorities whenever suspected cases were identified.
He explained that private hospitals played an important role in outbreak detection, noting that the infected woman had initially sought medical attention at a private healthcare facility.
“The private sector is important because, as you saw, this case went to a private facility. In 2014, it was a private facility,” he said.
The minister urged private practitioners to remain vigilant when attending to patients presenting symptoms associated with Ebola, particularly those with relevant travel histories or possible exposure to infected persons.
He stressed that suspected cases should be promptly reported to the appropriate public health authorities rather than managed without the necessary notification and coordination.
Pate also disclosed that the Federal Government had provided additional funding to the NCDC to strengthen surveillance, laboratory investigations and other emergency response activities.
He said international health organisations, including the WHO and Africa CDC, were providing support to reinforce the country’s containment efforts.
The minister further revealed that the government had invited a genomics expert, Prof Christian Happi, to complement the NCDC’s investigations into the virus.
According to him, genomic sequencing would help health authorities better understand the infection and generate scientific evidence to guide containment measures.
The reported infection involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is distinct from the Zaire strain responsible for the devastating West African epidemic between 2014 and 2016.
The development has heightened concerns about Nigeria’s preparedness to manage additional infections, particularly in states where emergency response arrangements have not been fully updated.
Pate nevertheless maintained that the situation remained manageable, provided health authorities, medical practitioners and members of the public sustained vigilance and complied with recommended preventive measures.
He advised Nigerians experiencing symptoms such as fever, headaches and muscle aches, particularly those with relevant travel histories or possible exposure, to isolate themselves and immediately contact public health authorities.
The minister reiterated that early detection, prompt reporting and effective coordination among relevant institutions remained critical to preventing further transmission.
He assured Nigerians that the government would continue working with state authorities and international partners to strengthen preparedness and contain the outbreak.
