• Lagos strengthens airport screening, public enlightenment
• Centre tracks 53 contacts as suspected Rivers case tests negative
• Port health services step up screening at five int’l airports
• NCDC considers N100,000 stipend for quarantined contacts
• Society urges FG to upgrade intensive care units nationwide
• Kano, UPTH activate emergency response mechanisms over Ebola threat

As the Federal Government intensifies efforts to contain the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak, states are stepping up surveillance and preparedness measures, with Lagos strengthening screening at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and public enlightenment, while health experts warn of critical gaps in the country’s intensive care infrastructure.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified 53 primary contacts of Nigeria’s confirmed case, most of whom are under quarantine and public health surveillance, as it expands screening at international airports to cover passengers arriving from all countries. The agency also identified a suspected case in Rivers State, which subsequently tested negative.

The developments have renewed concerns about the readiness of state health systems to detect and contain possible infections, isolate suspected cases and manage patients requiring specialised care.

Against this backdrop, the Intensive and Critical Care Society of Nigeria (ICCSN) has urged the Federal Government to upgrade and equip intensive care units in public hospitals, warning that inadequate equipment and personnel could undermine the management of severe Ebola-related complications.

The Lagos State Government urged residents to remain calm but vigilant, assuring them that no suspected cases have been detected in the state.

It added that it was strengthening disease surveillance, risk communication and community engagement to improve early detection and response to potential cases.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, the state government said the Ministry of Health, through its Directorate of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, was collaborating with relevant agencies at points of entry, including the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, to strengthen surveillance and preparedness.

As part of the measures, the ministry had conducted a strategic engagement and assessment at the airport with its management, Port Health Services and other aviation and public health stakeholders.

The engagement focused on passenger screening, information sharing, infection prevention and control, and coordination of emergency response measures.

The government also said it was intensifying public enlightenment through educational materials explaining the symptoms, transmission and prevention of Ebola, urging residents to rely on verified information rather than rumours or speculation.

Abayomi noted that the early symptoms could resemble those of malaria and other common illnesses. He advised residents who became unwell, particularly after possible exposure or travel from an area with active transmission, to seek prompt medical assessment.

In line with the state’s fever-management policy, the government advised anyone with a fever to undergo a malaria rapid diagnostic test before taking antimalarial medicines. Where the result is negative, a healthcare professional should assess other possible causes and determine the appropriate treatment.

Residents were also urged to wash their hands regularly, avoid contact with the body fluids of sick people, refrain from handling potentially contaminated materials and avoid contact with sick or dead wild animals.

The government called on travellers arriving in Nigeria, particularly from areas reporting Ebola transmission, to cooperate with Port Health Services and other authorised officials, provide accurate travel and health information when requested, and comply with applicable public health guidance.

Travellers who develop symptoms during their journey or after arrival were advised to notify the appropriate health personnel promptly and seek guidance before visiting a healthcare facility. Airlines and airport operators were also urged to maintain established public health protocols.

The government further advised anyone who suspected exposure to Ebola, especially following contact with a suspected or confirmed case, to contact public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility.

Suspected cases or concerns about possible exposure in Lagos may be reported through the state’s emergency numbers, 112 or 767, or directly to the Directorate of Epidemiology, Biosecurity and Global Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health, on 0802 316 9485.

Similarly, the Kano State Government activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre.

The Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC), Prof Muhammad Adamu-Abbas, disclosed this in a public advisory in Kano, assuring residents that the centre was on high alert and prepared to respond to any eventuality.

He urged residents to remain calm, avoid self-medication and refrain from using public transportation if they developed symptoms, to minimise the risk of exposing others. He also advised that suspected cases should be isolated immediately to prevent further spread of the disease.

In Rivers State, the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) activated its infection outbreak response mechanism as part of efforts to strengthen preparedness and response to potential health emergencies.

The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof Chituru Orluwene, announced the measure after a meeting with the hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee.

He directed the committee to establish a situation room as part of a phased response, beginning within the hospital before extending to a state-wide arrangement.

UPTH management urged residents to remain calm, observe basic personal hygiene and cooperate with health workers at recognised government-approved health facilities.

It added that the hospital was deploying its experience and expertise to support the response.

Port health services step up screening in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano, P’Harcourt
IN a move to strengthen border surveillance, Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, announced that Nigeria was expanding health screening at its international entry points and reversing an earlier directive that had limited health declaration procedures for international arrivals.

Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja, Idris said the NCDC was returning to a broader screening approach covering passengers arriving from all countries.

Port health services are working with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), immigration, customs and other relevant agencies to implement the measures.

Idris identified Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt as the five international airports where port health services and other relevant agencies were coordinating preparedness and screening activities.

He explained that passenger health declaration procedures had previously been adjusted during a period of reduced international activity, but the emergence of the confirmed case had prompted a reassessment.

He said the decision to restore broader screening would be implemented in collaboration with aviation regulators, airport authorities, airlines, immigration and customs officials.

The NCDC boss noted that effective border surveillance depended on coordination among agencies with different responsibilities at airports and land borders.

The renewed screening measures are intended to identify travellers who may require further assessment based on their symptoms, travel history or possible exposure.

However, he stressed that surveillance at entry points must complement community-based detection, laboratory testing and contact tracing.

Seeking to reassure Nigerians amid public concern, Idris said the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NCDC, FCT health authorities and their partners, was responding to the situation with urgency.

“Ebola is a serious disease, and we are handling this situation with the urgency it deserves,” he said, adding that Nigeria had a clear response plan, experienced personnel and an established public health system to manage the threat.

He said the national response had been activated under an Incident Management System, with relevant government agencies, technical partners and public health experts involved in the coordination.

Idris urged public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to immediately review their screening procedures, triage systems, isolation arrangements and protective measures.

NCDC considers N100,000 stipend for quarantined contacts
THE NCDC is considering paying N100,000 to each contact under quarantine following threats by some of them to leave the isolation facility.

The proposed stipend is intended to ease the financial burden of complying with public health measures and encourage cooperation during the monitoring period.

Idris said the Federal Government had activated a coordinated national response to contain the outbreak and prevent further transmission.

He said repeated tests on samples from the index patient had returned positive results, while samples collected from the patient’s husband tested negative.

According to him, the identified contacts include healthcare workers, domestic staff, the patient’s spouse and other individuals who might have been exposed during medical care, sample collection or other relevant interactions.

He explained that contact tracing was ongoing and the number of contacts could change as investigations progressed and public health officials verified additional information.

He said, “A major priority for the NCDC is identifying and monitoring everyone who may have been exposed to the confirmed case. The contacts include healthcare workers at the facility where the patient is being managed, personnel involved in collecting samples, domestic staff and individuals within the patient’s immediate circle.

“Under established Ebola response protocols, contacts are monitored for 21 days from their last possible exposure, reflecting the maximum recognised incubation period of the disease. Fifty-three primary contacts have been listed and categorised for follow-up, with health officials monitoring them according to their level of exposure.”

Idris explained that being identified as a contact did not mean that an individual had contracted Ebola. Rather, he said, contact tracing was a preventive measure aimed at detecting symptoms promptly, arranging tests where necessary and interrupting possible chains of transmission.

He added that the agency would continue monitoring the contacts and arrange testing for anyone who developed symptoms.

The NCDC director-general also disclosed that some contacts had been accommodated at a designated facility during the monitoring period. The government was providing accommodation and feeding, while financial support was being reviewed to address the difficulties faced by those required to stay away from their homes and daily activities.

He said the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital had been designated as the isolation and treatment centre for the current response, with preparations made to accommodate patients who might require specialised care.

According to him, the facility had been assessed and its readiness strengthened, while experienced clinicians and case managers were being mobilised to support patient management.

Society urges FG to upgrade intensive care units nationwide
THE Intensive and Critical Care Society of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to prioritise the upgrading and equipping of intensive care units (ICUs) in public hospitals, describing the recent Ebola Virus Disease incident as a wake-up call to strengthen the country’s health security.

The society, in a statement signed by its President, Prof Otokwala Job Gogo, and Secretary, Dr Paul Ufoegbunam, expressed concern over the deplorable state of ICUs in most public tertiary hospitals across the country.

It said many facilities lacked basic life-support equipment, including functional ventilators, multiparameter monitors, infusion pumps and dialysis machines, as well as essential critical care medications. It added that manpower remained inadequate.

According to the society, severe Ebola Virus Disease can cause life-threatening complications, including acute respiratory failure, septic shock, acute kidney injury, blood-clotting disorders and multiple organ failure.

It stressed that such complications required more than isolation wards, as patients needed fully equipped ICUs staffed by trained intensive care physicians, critical care nurses and other relevant professionals.

“Without functional ICUs, we risk losing patients not directly to the virus itself, but to treatable organ failure,” the society said.

To address the gaps, ICCSN urged the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, to use the Ebola incident as an opportunity to comprehensively equip and upgrade ICUs in all federal tertiary hospitals.

It also called for dedicated funding for critical care equipment, consumables and infrastructure maintenance, alongside investment in the recruitment, retention and continuous training of intensive care physicians, nurses and biomedical engineers.

The society further advocated the establishment of a National Critical Care Support Network to facilitate the rapid deployment of expertise and equipment during disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies.

It noted that strengthening ICUs would improve survival rates among Ebola patients and enhance the country’s capacity to manage other life-threatening conditions, including severe sepsis, trauma, stroke, obstetric emergencies and post-operative complications.

While commending the Federal Government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and frontline health workers for their efforts to contain the outbreak, ICCSN said the incident had once again exposed the vulnerability of Nigeria’s critical care infrastructure.

The society expressed its readiness to partner with the government by providing technical guidance on ICU standards, equipment specifications and training.

It warned that Nigeria could not afford to remain unprepared for future public health emergencies.