Nigeria’s Ebola case linked to Kenya strain–FG

Nigeria’s confirmed imported Ebola case has been linked through genomic analysis to a strain identified in the index case in Kenya, although investigators have yet to establish a direct travel or transmission link between the two cases.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this during a press briefing on the country’s Ebola response, assuring Nigerians that surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and laboratory testing were continuing to prevent further transmission.

Pate said Nigeria still had only one confirmed case, adding that some tests conducted on identified contacts had returned negative results, while others were awaiting results.

He explained that further genomic analysis was being conducted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), in collaboration with laboratories at Redeemer’s University in Ede, Osun State, to establish a clearer picture of the relationship between the viruses.

According to the minister, the findings had provided additional information about the imported virus but did not establish a direct route of transmission between Nigeria and Kenya.

He said further analysis could help investigators better understand the relationship between the two viral samples and inform the country’s public-health response.

Pate added that the Federal Government was coordinating the response through an incident management system led by the NCDC, with support from public-health laboratories and disease-control experts.

He reassured Nigerians that the country had the capacity to manage the situation and urged the public to remain vigilant without panicking.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, said the agency was strengthening surveillance, laboratory testing, case management, public communication and infection prevention and control measures across health facilities.

Idris said additional training would be provided for healthcare workers on identifying suspected Ebola cases, protecting themselves during patient triage and promptly notifying public-health authorities.

He stressed that hospitals across the country needed to remain alert and prepared to respond to any suspected case.

The NCDC director-general explained that Ebola is primarily transmitted through direct contact with the blood and other body fluids of an infected person, as well as contaminated materials. It is not generally spread through the air in the manner of measles or tuberculosis.

He urged Nigerians to practise regular handwashing and maintain good personal and environmental hygiene while complying with official public-health guidance.

Idris also warned against the spread of misinformation on social media, advising the public to rely on verified updates from the NCDC, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Federal Government reiterated its commitment to providing regular updates as investigations progress, urging Nigerians to cooperate with public-health authorities to prevent further transmission of the virus.