Ebola in FCT: FG Assures Nigerians of Containment as Senate and Reps Demand Emergency Protocols
The Federal Government of Nigeria has assured citizens of its total readiness to contain the Ebola virus following the confirmation of an imported index case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking after an emergency meeting at the State House on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, confirmed that national public health protocols led to the rapid identification and isolation of the patient.
The confirmed index case is a woman with recent travel history to East Africa, specifically Uganda, who arrived in Nigeria on October 7, 2026. She presented symptoms four days after her arrival and was subsequently admitted to a private health facility in Abuja, where laboratory tests later confirmed the Ebola virus infection.
The patient remains in strict isolation where she is receiving specialized care.
Contact Tracing and Incident Management Activated
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed that contact tracing commenced immediately, with at least 44 contacts identified and placed under surveillance.
The Federal Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has fully activated the national incident management system across all response pillars.
“We have been conducting contact tracing diligently and isolating contacts of the index case in this country,” Professor Pate stated. “Our hospital capabilities are activated to contain this case. We have the resources, we are mobilising capabilities, and we are confident that if we continue on this path, we will dent this outbreak.”
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga released a statement quoting Gbajabiamila, who noted that despite over 44,000 international flights entering and leaving Nigeria since global alerts heightened in June, national screening protocols ensured this single unsymptomatic arrival was caught swiftly after symptoms developed.
Ugandan health authorities have stated that the exact location of exposure remains under investigation, adding that transit through the nation alone is insufficient to determine where the transmission occurred.
Nigeria Senate Plenary session 2023 photo credit Tope Brown
National Assembly Demands Emergency Funding and Strict Screening
In response to the confirmed FCT case, both chambers of the National Assembly moved quickly on Wednesday to demand heightened national border security and emergency health funding.
In the Senate, lawmakers considered a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Francis Faduyile regarding the spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus across the continent. The upper chamber called on the Federal Government to immediately release emergency funding from the service-wide vote to fortify public health infrastructure and enforce mandatory health screening for all arriving international passengers, regardless of their origin or nationality.
The Senate highlighted existing vulnerabilities in the national health system—including ongoing battles with Lassa fever, cholera, and diphtheria—and urged the immediate replacement of the outdated Quarantine Act of 1926 with modern legislation aligned with the 2005 International Health Regulations.
Concurrently, the House of Representatives mandated its Committee on Infectious Diseases to ensure the immediate establishment of isolation camps and recommended reactivating Nigeria’s successful 2014 Ebola containment blueprint.
Public Health Vigilance and Next Steps
The Federal Government and public health officials have urged the public to avoid spreading unverified rumors or panic while observing strict hygiene measures, including frequent handwashing and monitoring for symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headaches, vomiting, or diarrhoea.
Port Health Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) are scaling up deployment of thermal scanners, personal protective equipment (PPE), and trained health officers across all international airports, seaports, and land borders.
Health authorities maintain that with active contact tracing, isolated management, and activated state-level preparedness plans, Nigeria is well-positioned to contain the situation effectively.
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