ABUJA — The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced heightened surveillance across the country following fears of a possible Ebola outbreak.
The agency, however, confirmed that two recent suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fever in Abuja tested negative for both Ebola and Marburg viruses.
NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, assuring Nigerians that the public health system remains on guard.
He explained that the most recent case involved a traveller who arrived in Abuja from Kigali and immediately sought medical attention 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 added that the NCDC had conducted a Dynamic Risk Assessment in response to recent reports of Ebola in other countries and has intensified precautionary measures nationwide.
According to him, surveillance at points of entry has been strengthened, isolation and treatment centres placed on standby, and essential infection-prevention supplies prepositioned.
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