Ebola: FG assures Nigerians of capacity to contain disease

The Federal Government of Nigeria has assured its citizens that it has the capacity to contain the Ebola disease. This assurance comes after the quick detection of the country's first Ebola case, which was identified due to the diligent work of the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Preparedness. The task force, chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, has been working since June to ensure preparedness for such events.

Since the Ebola case was discovered on Tuesday, 44,000 flights have entered and left Nigeria. The woman who contracted the disease showed no symptoms upon arrival but began to display symptoms four days later. Gbajabiamila emphasized the importance of the identification process and the protocols put in place, stating that they enabled the quick identification of the case.

The task force will continue to strengthen and enforce the protocols more rigorously. The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, highlighted the country's competent health authorities, including private hospitals, immigration, aviation, interior agencies, and subnational governments, which have established surveillance systems.

He also stated that the country is monitoring 44 contacts of the index imported case and has activated the incident management system across various pillars, including hospital capabilities. The task force will collaborate with the public to avoid spreading baseless rumors and panic.