The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it has activated heightened surveillance across the country following concerns about possible Ebola virus importation.

 

In a statement on Friday, NCDC Director-General Dr. Jide Idris confirmed that two recent suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fever in Abuja tested negative for both Ebola and Marburg viruses.

 

Idris explained that the most recent case involved a traveller who arrived in Abuja from Kigali and promptly 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 outbreaks in other countries and had taken proactive steps to safeguard Nigeria.

 

The measures include:

 

Strengthening surveillance at points of entry such as airports and land borders,

 

Placing isolation and treatment facilities on high alert, and

 

Prepositioning critical infection-prevention supplies nationwide.

 

 

The NCDC urged health workers and the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report any suspicious illnesses, assuring Nigerians that the agency is fully prepared to respond to any potential threat.