The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has declared that there is no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in the country, stressing that if Ebola should come into the country, the Centre will contain it.
The Director General of the Centre, Dr Jide Idris, who stated this at a media briefing in Lagos, however said that a comprehensive dynamic risk assessment that was conducted classified the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as “high”.
Dr Idris further said that the assessment reflects increasing regional transmission, international travel and population movement, porous borders, and the potential for delayed recognition, saying that Ebola symptoms may resemble those of malaria and Lassa fever.
This was as he said that there was high level of surveillance at all entry points (borders) into the country, adding that the NCDC was collaborating with the authorities who man the borders to ensure that Ebola is not transmitted into the country.
While giving updates on ongoing response efforts following the outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, Idris urged Nigerians to remain calm, but should be on the alert.
The NCDC DG said that since the confirmation of the outbreak in the region, the Centre had intensified activities nationwide to ensure that Nigeria remained ready to rapidly detect, investigate, contain, and respond to any potential importation of the disease.
He further said; “As I speak, there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria. While there are currently no widely available licenced vaccines or approved treatments specifically for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus.
“Experience from previous outbreaks has demonstrated that early detection, rapid isolation, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, risk communication, and effective emergency coordination remain the most effective tools for preventing transmission and saving lives.
“Hence, we encourage Nigerians to remain calm and continue to do their normal activities. Members of the public should obtain information only from credible sources, avoid spreading rumours and misinformation, and promptly report any unusual illness through established public health channels,” he advised.
Idris also said that there was completion of readiness assessments in 549 health facilities across 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory as part of the NCDC preparedness, adding that there was completion of assessment of 17 designated treatment centres to evaluate screening capacity, isolation readiness, infection prevention and control systems, healthcare workers protection and treatment readiness.
Speaking on the training of staff and healthcare workers in the management of Ebola, the NCDC DG said there was no mapped out training, adding however, that managing Ebola, required adherence to using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) precautions.
In the words of Idris; “Preparedness is a shared responsibility. While NCDC is leading national coordination efforts, effective preventive and early response require active collaboration among state governments, healthcare facilities, communities, development partners and the public.
“Nigeria successfully contained Ebola in 2014 through strong leadership, rapid detection, effective coordination, public trust, and collective action. Today, we are building on those lessons and strengthening preparedness even further,” Idris stated.
