The Federal Government has imposed a 21-day restriction on air travel for 46 people identified as contacts of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient as authorities intensify efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, ordered the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to enforce the restriction and notify domestic and international airlines to ensure that the affected individuals do not board flights during the monitoring period.
Keyamo announced the directive on Wednesday after a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, to review measures aimed at containing the outbreak.
The 46 individuals comprise 44 people who reportedly came into contact with the infected woman at a hospital after she developed symptoms, alongside two members of her domestic staff.
The minister said efforts were ongoing to isolate the identified contacts while health officials assess their exposure and monitor them for possible signs of infection.
He also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to strengthen surveillance and emergency response measures at international airports across the country.
The measures include more rigorous health screening, temperature checks, verification of travellers’ recent movements, digital health declarations and closer coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, prompting health authorities to commence contact tracing and other containment measures.
The patient, a woman who reportedly travelled from Uganda to Nigeria on an international flight, is receiving treatment in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja.
The 21-day restriction corresponds with the maximum recognised incubation period for Ebola, during which symptoms may emerge following exposure to the virus.
Ebola is a severe disease transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, as well as contaminated materials. Health authorities rely on early detection, contact tracing, isolation and monitoring to limit transmission and prevent further infections.
