The Federal Government has ruled out changes to planned social gatherings, political campaigns and conferences over Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case, saying the situation remains contained and there is no evidence of wider community transmission.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, gave the assurance on Thursday while briefing journalists on the country’s preparedness and response to the outbreak.
Pate said the government would review its position if the situation changed, stressing that any restrictions on public gatherings would be guided by scientific evidence and expert advice.
He also confirmed that Nigeria had recorded one imported case of Ebola virus disease, with the patient responding to treatment and laboratory results showing significant improvement.
According to the minister, the patient was asymptomatic on arrival in Nigeria but developed symptoms a few days later.
Following confirmation of the infection, health authorities immediately commenced contact tracing, identifying contacts at the hospital, a private clinic and among the patient’s domestic contacts.
Pate said the contacts had been classified according to their levels of exposure, with high-risk individuals quarantined in a designated facility and others managed in line with public health guidelines.
He added that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had activated its incident management system to coordinate the response alongside the Federal Capital Territory Administration and other relevant agencies.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government had briefed the Presidential Task Force, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the National Economic Council on the situation, while additional resources had been released to strengthen containment efforts.
He said state governments had also been directed to complete their preparedness plans, while Nigeria continued working with the World Health Organisation, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other technical partners.
Pate said the country had the capacity to diagnose the infection within 24 hours of notification by public health authorities and was collaborating with Professor Christian Happi, a genomics expert at Redeemer’s University, to support the NCDC’s investigations into the virus.
Reassuring Nigerians, the minister explained that Ebola was not an airborne disease but spread through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials.
He urged Nigerians to maintain regular handwashing, avoid contact with other people’s body fluids and promptly report symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle aches, particularly where there was a relevant travel history.
People identified as contacts were also advised to comply with quarantine and isolation instructions.
Pate said hospitals, including federal and private health facilities, had been directed to strengthen infection prevention and control measures, prepare isolation beds and ensure adequate protection for healthcare workers.
He warned against politicising the outbreak and urged media organisations and social media users to avoid spreading misinformation, insisting that health security required cooperation across political, religious and ethnic divides.
The minister added that Nigeria was strengthening screening and surveillance at points of entry, including ensuring that thermal imaging equipment remained functional and that travellers were assessed in line with international health regulations.
He said the government would continue to provide updates through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the NCDC, expressing confidence that Nigeria could contain the case through coordinated action and public cooperation.