…Intensifies contact tracking as index patient shows improvement
…Pate says patient’s laboratory results show progress, rules out restrictions on public gatherings for now

The Federal Government has said that it is intensifying efforts to contain Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola virus disease case and has placed high-risk contacts in designated quarantine facilities, tracing potential exposures adding that the index patient has shown signs of improvement.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, who disclosed this while briefing with journalists yesterday in Abuja , assured Nigerians that the federal government is working to prevent the infection from spreading into communities.

Pate said the patient’s latest laboratory results indicated significant improvement, raising hopes of recovery, although he cautioned that the outcome remained uncertain and urged health officials to sustain their efforts.
He explained that the patient was asymptomatic when she arrived in Nigeria but developed symptoms a few days later adding that the identified contacts included people linked to the hospital where the patient received care, domestic contacts and individuals associated with a private medical facility she had visited.

The minister pointed out that the contacts had been categorised according to their level of exposure, with those considered to be at high risk placed in designated quarantine facilities, while others were isolated under public health supervision”.
He said, “She developed symptoms a few days after arrival, which we had shared before. We’ve traced the contacts, identified the contacts in the hospital, the domestic contacts, and the private clinic that she had attended. All those contacts have been categorized in risk levels, high risk and low risk.

“The high risk contacts have been quarantined fully in a facility. The others have been isolated and we’re ensuring that the isolation is enforced, consistent with public health expert guidelines. We’ve activated the incident management system.According to international health regulations, the focal point is the Nigeria Center for Disease Control for the operational day-to-day anchoring of the national response”.
The minister observed that the government is working to ensure that the quarantine and isolation measures were strictly observed in line with expert guidelines

Pate stated that all the hospitals have been notified to make room for bed capacities, isolation, and prepare their health workers in terms of infection prevention in the cases, because health workers are in the front end. inform hospitals.
“The private sector is important, because as you saw, this case went to a private facility. In 2014, it was a private facility. So private practitioners of all kinds should also be sensitized and connected to the public health authorities.Nigeria has been able to deal with Ebola in the past. We feel that it is possible that we will be able to deal with it. We have a great team that is running the incident management system, and we have confidence in the NCDC, their personnel, and all the pillars of support comprising the NCDC, the Ministry of Health, Port health Services, and other agencies that are working hand in hand together.”

The minister said the government had activated its incident management system, strengthened coordination among federal and state authorities, and mobilised domestic and international technical support to contain the infection.
He emphasized that there is no cause for panic, urging Nigerians to comply with public health instructions, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and avoid spreading unverified information about the outbreak.
“We have one important case. We are trying to contain it so that it does not go out to the communities or become generalised. Hopefully, it will not get to that,” Pate said.

The minister added that the government is determined to ensure the case did not develop into a wider outbreak, emphasising that Nigeria’s response would be guided by scientific evidence and established public health protocols.

“We have to ensure that we know exactly where those contacts are, and that it does not go into the communities,” the minister said, adding that there was, at the time of the briefing, no evidence that the infection had spread into the wider community.
The government’s immediate priority, he said, was to establish the extent of exposure, monitor potentially infected persons and interrupt any possible chain of transmission.

Pate said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) is coordinating the operational response under the framework of the International Health Regulations, working closely with the Federal Capital Territory authorities and other relevant agencies.
He said the Federal Government had adopted a whole-of-government approach, bringing together the health sector, aviation authorities and other institutions to strengthen preparedness, surveillance and containment.

The minister disclosed that the government had briefed the Presidential Task Force on the outbreak and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, while the National Economic Council had also been informed of the situation.
He said the President had authorised additional resources for the response, with funding provided to the NCDC, alongside other domestic resources being mobilised to support containment activities.

The minister said a meeting involving state commissioners of health and commissioners of information was scheduled for the following day to strengthen coordination and ensure consistent communication across the country.
Pate noted that the government intends to ensure that all tiers of government shared accurate information and implemented appropriate measures as the situation developed.

He said international experts with experience in managing Ebola outbreaks had been engaged to complement the work of local health authorities.

The minister said Nigeria was also working to deepen its understanding of the virus through genomic sequencing, a process that could provide additional information about the pathogen.

Pate maintained that the country is not starting from scratch, pointing to existing surveillance structures, laboratory capacity, trained personnel and experience gained from previous public health emergencies.
He said the government was working with international partners while relying on local expertise to guide decisions on containment and risk management.

Addressing concerns about political campaigns, conferences and other major public gatherings, Pate said the government had not identified sufficient public health grounds to alter planned events.
He said the decision was based on the available evidence that the case remained contained, adding that the authorities would review the situation continuously and adjust their recommendations if circumstances changed.

“At this moment, there is no indication that requires us to alter the course of large gatherings that have been planned,” he said.
The minister, however, emphasised that the position was not a blanket assurance that restrictions would never become necessary.

He said any future decision on public gatherings would be based on scientific evidence, consultations with public health experts and an assessment of the potential risk to Nigerians.
Pate also cautioned political actors against turning the outbreak into a partisan issue, arguing that public health emergencies required cooperation across political, ethnic and religious divides.

He described health as a unifying concern that transcended political affiliation, nationality, ethnicity and religion.
The minister urged political leaders to exercise restraint and allow public health considerations, rather than political calculations, to determine the response.

He also called on journalists to report developments responsibly and rely on official and expert sources rather than circulate rumours that could undermine public confidence.
Pate explained that Ebola is not an airborne disease and can only be transmitted through contact with infected body fluids.

He urged Nigerians to observe basic hygiene measures, including frequent handwashing, while avoiding direct contact with body fluids when the infection status of an individual was unknown.

The minister said health workers had been advised to observe appropriate infection prevention and control procedures when attending to patients.