WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DIRECTS REGIONAL PREPAREDNESS AFTER NIGERIA DETECTS FIRST BUNDIBUGYO EBOLA CASE

Health authorities isolate returning traveler in Federal Capital Territory while NCDC tracks 44 contacts and FAAN steps up airport health screening

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries across the African region to maintain maximum operational readiness and heightened surveillance following the confirmation of an imported Ebola Virus Disease case in Nigeria.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued the directive after Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed that a female traveler returning from Uganda tested positive in Abuja for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

Nigeria's Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, confirmed that the index patient was swiftly isolated upon diagnosis and is currently receiving specialized clinical management in a secured medical facility.

Epidemiological teams from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) have established contact tracing protocols, successfully listing 44 high-risk contacts, comprising flight passengers, healthcare staff, and domestic caregivers, for daily health monitoring.

In response to the confirmed case, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and port health officers escalated health screening procedures across major international airports, while the Federal Government reassured the public of its capacity to contain the situation through transparent public health advisories and strict infection control measures.

Dr. Tedros highlighted that the World Health Organization is actively deploying technical support and working in coordination with authorities in Nigeria, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to reinforce contact tracing, secure medical supplies, and protect health workers.