The Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria has urged Nigerians to avoid handshakes, hugs and unnecessary physical contact following a reported Ebola case in Abuja, while calling for heightened surveillance and strict adherence to public health guidelines.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 20, the academy’s President, Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie, said the public should remain calm but vigilant following the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s announcement of the case involving a woman who recently arrived from Uganda.
Giwa-Osagie commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, and relevant agencies for initiating response measures, including patient isolation, contact tracing and intensified surveillance.
He called for the activation of high-alert protocols nationwide, drawing on Nigeria’s experience in containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak and responding to COVID-19.
The academy also advocated enhanced screening at airports, seaports and land borders, alongside stronger infection prevention and control measures in health facilities and adequate protective equipment for health workers.
Giwa-Osagie explained that Ebola is not airborne but spreads through direct contact with the blood and other body fluids of infected people who are symptomatic or have died from the disease. Transmission can also occur through contaminated materials.
He advised Nigerians to wash their hands regularly with soap and running water or use alcohol-based sanitisers, avoid contact with the body fluids of sick persons and refrain from handling the bodies of suspected Ebola victims.
Possible symptoms include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Anyone who suspects exposure or develops symptoms should contact public health authorities before visiting a health facility, he said.
The academy urged Nigerians to cooperate with contact-tracing teams, avoid spreading unverified information and refrain from stigmatising affected persons.
Members of the public can call the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s toll-free number, 6232, for information or to report suspected cases.
