We’ve not advised Nigeria to restrict gatherings, says WHO

President Bola Tinubu has approved N45 billion for the deployment of an integrated biosecurity and disease surveillance system at five international airports to boost Nigeria’s capacity to detect and respond to emerging infectious disease threats.

However, the World Health Organisation (WHO), yesterday, said it had not advised the Federal Government to restrict public gatherings following the Ebola case recorded in the country.

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Tinubu yesterday, listed the five airports as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu airports.

According to the minister, the project will be delivered through a 20-year public-private partnership (PPP) with the BioHealth Consortium, using technologies such as aircraft waste water surveillance, air and surface sampling, and specialised pathogen detection systems.

Pate added that the system would monitor a broad range of dangerous pathogens, improve inter-agency coordination, and strengthen health security at Nigeria’s borders.

The minister explained that the project was informed by lessons from Nigeria’s recent response to Ebola, adding that it would be implemented under a 20-year public-private partnership concession awarded to BioHealth Consortium.

He described the initiative as a major investment in Nigeria’s health and economic security, noting that infectious disease outbreaks could disrupt economic activities and threaten public safety.

According to him, the surveillance system would be deployed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport; and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

He said more than 18 million passengers pass through Nigeria’s airports yearly, making effective surveillance at points of entry critical to national health security.

WHO, however, said Nigeria would need to go 42 days without another Ebola case to be declared Ebola-free, while 53 people who had contact with the patient remained under surveillance.

Speaking on Arise TV, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, clarified that her country of origin requested the patient’s medical evacuation and that it was not due to any shortcomings in Nigeria’s capacity to manage the case.

Ihekweazu also commended Nigeria’s response to the case, saying the speed of laboratory confirmation and sequencing, as well as the measures taken by the government to contain the outbreak, was commendable.

He said: “We have advised the country to have appropriate response measures to this, and they have carried this out more or less to the letter. We have had excellent case management in Nigeria. Lab confirmation happened very quickly. We had the sequence happen very quickly.

“I think appropriate measures have been carried out. Nigerians can be proud of the response so far. We have not advised any restriction of further gatherings. Our advice is never political; it is always technical, and we will continue to support the government in this response.

“The key thing now is for every single contact that the patient had to be followed up with every single day, as it’s happening, to ensure that there is no further transmission. If there is transmission, it must be detected early and responded to appropriately.

“So, for now, I think the key thing is to keep this as a technical response, trust the government, and trust these agencies. They are being supported by WHO in all ramifications of the response, and I am confident that we can support government to get this under control and not politicise this event at all.”