The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has ordered the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to restrict 46 people who had contact with an Ebola patient from travelling by air for 21 days.
Keyamo disclosed this in a post on X on Wednesday after holding a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, to discuss the outbreak.
Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease on Tuesday after a diplomat reportedly arrived from Uganda and subsequently fell ill in the Federal Capital Territory.
Pate had earlier disclosed that 44 close contacts of the infected person had been identified for contact tracing as part of efforts to contain the disease.
According to Keyamo, Pate shared details of the 44 individuals who interacted with the patient at a hospital after symptoms emerged, alongside two domestic staff members.
The aviation minister said measures were being taken to isolate the identified contacts while authorities establish whether they had contracted the virus.
He added that the NCAA had been instructed to inform both domestic and international airlines about the restrictions.
Keyamo also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to intensify Ebola surveillance and strengthen preventive measures at all international airports across the country.
He said the measures include stricter health screening, temperature checks, monitoring of passengers’ travel histories, digital health declaration forms and closer collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
The minister noted that the actions were informed by previous outbreak alerts in the region.
Ebola is a viral disease transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms or has died from the disease. Infection can also occur through contact with contaminated objects and materials.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness as common early symptoms. The illness may progress to vomiting and diarrhoea, with some patients experiencing internal or external bleeding.
