The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to notify local and international airlines to restrict 46 persons linked to Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case from air travel for 21 days.
Keyamo gave the directive after a virtual meeting on Wednesday with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, on measures to contain the outbreak.
The directive covers 44 persons who had contact with the infected patient at a private hospital in Abuja and two members of her domestic staff.
The patient, identified in reports as a diplomat, tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease following laboratory confirmation on October 20. Her nationality has not been officially disclosed.
According to the World Health Organisation, the woman travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, with symptoms reportedly beginning on October 7. She sought treatment at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11.
Reports indicate that she was initially treated for malaria-like symptoms, but further investigations were conducted after her condition failed to improve and doctors reviewed her travel history.
The Director of Public Health Laboratory Services at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Olajumoke Babatunde, confirmed the strain during an emergency incident management meeting in Abuja.
Babatunde said three levels of molecular testing were carried out to establish the type of Ebola virus detected.
An official at the meeting also disclosed that the patient’s condition had deteriorated into multi-organ failure.
Keyamo said the health minister provided him with details of the identified contacts, prompting the aviation authorities to take immediate precautionary measures.
He also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to strengthen Ebola surveillance and response measures across all international airports in the country.
Meanwhile, the WHO said investigations were ongoing to determine the likely source of infection and establish the patient’s complete travel and exposure history.
The organisation, alongside other partners, is supporting Nigerian health authorities with contact tracing, laboratory investigations, infection prevention and control, and the provision of essential protective equipment for health workers.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected persons who have developed symptoms, as well as contaminated materials. Its incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, making the identification and monitoring of exposed individuals critical to preventing further transmission.
Nigeria’s latest confirmed case has renewed concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly amid the ongoing outbreak in parts of Africa.
The country successfully contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 through isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.
Authorities are now intensifying surveillance, monitoring identified contacts and strengthening infection prevention measures to prevent further spread.
