Nigerian medical groups call for nationwide measures after 1st Ebola case

Medical groups in Nigeria are urging the activation of nationwide measures after the first case of Ebola in about 10 years was detected in the country.

The Medical and Dental Consultants' Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) and the Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria (AMSN) said there is a need to currently strengthen Nigeria's preparedness against Ebola.

The two organizations encouraged the government at the federal and state level to activate isolation and treatment centers, strengthen surveillance and contact tracing, and guarantee personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers.

In a public health advisory, AMSN recommended high-alert protocols be activated nationwide using lessons learned from Nigeria's containment of Ebola in 2014 and its COVID-19 response.

MDCAN President Chidi Ndukuba also urged the government to apply lessons from the 2014 Ebola outbreak and deploy proven mitigation measures, including activating emergency operations centers, screenings at points of entry and isolation centers nationwide.

Both groups called for improved screening at airports, seaports and land borders, especially among those arriving from countries affected by Ebola. The groups said the screenings should be coupled with monitoring and contact tracing.

MDCAN also urged that frontline healthcare workers be trained in infectious disease prevention and control practices, and that governments should improve their working conditions.

Meanwhile, AMSN encouraged healthcare workers to make sure suspected cases are immediately isolated and reported to public health authorities.

The recommendations come after Nigeria's health ministry confirmed the first Ebola case in a woman who arrived on an international flight from Uganda on Oct. 3 and tested positive on Oct. 20.

She was admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital city of Abuja is located, according to Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

The woman received care for several days before a diagnosis was confirmed through laboratory testing on Tuesday. She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care, according to the ministry.

The current Ebola outbreak in Africa, which began in mid-May in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is now the second-largest outbreak on record.

During a press conference on Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there are 9,704 cases in the DRC and 4,687 deaths confirmed, with a case fatality rate of 48.3%.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of Ebola for which there are no vaccines or treatments.

Aside from the DRC and Nigeria, cases have also been reported in Kenya, Uganda and France. No cases have been reported in the United States and the risk to American public remains low.

The first Ebola patients in Kenya and Nigeria may have crossed paths at a Ugandan airport, Dr. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response at Africa CDC, said during Thursday's press briefing. He said the investigation is continuing.

"One of the issues we are currently investigating has been some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport," he said.