Ebola: Medical expert demands contact tracing for all travellers, no VIP exemptions

Professor Oladapo Ashiru, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, has urged the Nigerian government to implement mandatory Ebola contact tracing for all travelers, regardless of their status, and establish permanent disease surveillance facilities in all 774 local government areas. In an interview with ARISE News, Ashiru emphasized that VIP exemptions from airport screening protocols could weaken containment efforts.

He stated that universal contact tracing is crucial due to the two to 21-day incubation period for Ebola, allowing infected individuals to travel without showing symptoms and later developing signs. Ashiru advocated for a 21-day monitoring period for potentially exposed travelers to determine when they are safe. He called for a permanent public health surveillance system focused on communicable diseases, rather than temporary measures for individual outbreaks.

Ashiru criticized the lack of sustained public health infrastructure established during previous Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks, urging the government to maintain and adequately fund such facilities. He also warned against complacency, urging Nigerians to refrain from handshakes, hugs, and unnecessary physical contact, and to adopt alternative forms of greeting.

Ashiru warned that Nigeria's large population and frequent social gatherings could complicate contact tracing if preventive measures are ignored. He urged hospitals and private clinics to remain vigilant, promptly assessing patients with fever or other suspected Ebola symptoms. Ashiru emphasized the importance of public awareness and healthcare workers' ability to recognize suspected infections as key components of the country's preparedness.