By Mercy Gadia Adi
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that two recent suspected cases of viral hemorrhagic fever in Abuja tested negative for Ebola and Marburg viruses.
In a statement on Thursday, the Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, said the most recent case involved a traveller who returned from Kigali and promptly reported to a hospital in Abuja after feeling unwell.
“The decision to report early, combined with the vigilance of the attending clinician and hospital team, ensured that our public health system was promptly activated and that the risk to the public was minimised,” Idris said.
He commended clinicians and staff of Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja, for their immediate reporting, which triggered a rapid and coordinated response. He also acknowledged the FCT Epidemiology and Rapid Response Teams, Port Health Services, the National Reference Laboratory, airline and immigration partners, and other stakeholders for their swift collaboration.
According to him, the NCDC has conducted a dynamic risk assessment following recent reports of Ebola in other countries, and anticipatory measures are being implemented nationwide.
“We have activated multidisciplinary collaboration with federal and state health authorities, strengthened surveillance at points of entry, placed isolation and treatment facilities on alert, and prepositioned infection-prevention and case-management supplies,” he stated.
He noted that the agency’s national reference laboratories remain on standby for rapid testing, while public health teams are ready to conduct contact tracing if needed.
Dr. Idris urged state governments to support disease-surveillance officers, ensure functional isolation centres, and provide resources for rapid response. He further advised healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion, apply strict infection-prevention measures, and report unusual cases immediately.
He also called on Nigerians to practice good hand hygiene, avoid contact with symptomatic persons, minimise animal-to-human risks, and seek medical attention immediately if they or anyone with recent travel history to affected countries develops symptoms.
The NCDC reassured Nigerians of its commitment to protecting public health through continued vigilance, strengthened collaboration with partners, and the support of the general public.