The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to place 46 individuals who had contact with Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient on a no-fly list for 21 days as part of efforts to prevent further transmission of the virus.
Keyamo gave the directive after a virtual meeting on Wednesday with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, to discuss measures to contain the country’s first confirmed Ebola case since 2014.
The patient was diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease following laboratory tests conducted on October 20.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the woman had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, with symptoms reportedly beginning on October 7, four days after her arrival. She subsequently sought treatment at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11.
Reports from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) indicated that the patient was initially treated for symptoms resembling malaria. However, her condition failed to improve, prompting doctors to investigate further after reviewing her travel history.
The Director of Public Health Laboratory Services at the NCDC, Olajumoke Babatunde, confirmed the virus strain 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.
An 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 revealed.
The health minister had earlier confirmed that the patient was receiving treatment in isolation as health authorities intensified contact tracing and other emergency response measures.
According to Keyamo, Pate provided him with details of 46 individuals identified during the contact-tracing exercise.
The list comprises 44 people who had contact with the patient at the hospital after she developed symptoms and two domestic staff members.
The aviation minister said the affected individuals would be isolated while health officials determined whether they 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,” Keyamo stated.
He added that the NCAA had been instructed to immediately notify both domestic and international airlines about the restriction.
Keyamo also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to strengthen Ebola surveillance and preventive measures at all international airports across the country.
He said the measures included enhanced passenger screening, temperature checks, travel history verification, digital health declarations and closer coordination with the NCDC following alerts about outbreaks in the region.
The WHO confirmed that the patient was infected with the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The organisation said investigations were ongoing to determine the likely source of the infection and establish the patient’s complete travel and exposure history.
The WHO and its partners are supporting Nigerian health authorities with investigations, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, as well as the provision of essential supplies, including personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
The agency has also called on countries in the region to strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory testing, rapid-response capabilities and monitoring at airports and other points of entry.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or through contaminated materials. Its incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, making the identification and monitoring of exposed individuals critical to preventing further spread.
The latest case has heightened concerns about cross-border transmission as health authorities continue efforts to identify additional contacts and contain the infection.
Nigeria previously recorded an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller introduced the virus into the country. Authorities contained the outbreak through coordinated public health interventions, including isolation, contact tracing and monitoring of exposed individuals.
For the current incident, authorities are prioritising the monitoring of identified contacts, strengthening infection prevention measures at the facility where the patient received treatment and maintaining heightened surveillance at airports and other entry points.
