The Federal Government has placed 46 people who had contact with Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient on a 21-day no-fly list as part of measures to prevent further transmission of the virus.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to notify both local and international airlines of the restriction.

Mr Keyamo disclosed the directive following a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, on Wednesday, where they reviewed measures to contain Nigeria’s first confirmed Ebola case since 2014.

According to Mr Keyamo, the 46 people comprise 44 individuals who came into contact with the infected patient at the hospital while she was experiencing symptoms and two domestic staff members.

The minister said arrangements were being made to isolate the identified contacts until health authorities could determine whether any of them had contracted the virus.

“Whilst efforts are ongoing to isolate them for now until there is certainty they had not been infected with the virus, the aviation authorities are required to put them on a no-fly list for at least 21 days,” Mr Keyamo stated.

He subsequently directed the NCAA to immediately inform all domestic and international airlines operating in Nigeria about the restriction.

FAAN intensifies airport surveillance

Mr Keyamo also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to strengthen Ebola surveillance and response measures at all international airports across the country.

He said measures already being implemented include enhanced health screening, temperature checks, travel-history tracking, digital health declarations and strict coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC.

The measures are part of Nigeria’s broader effort to prevent further transmission through the country’s airports and other points of entry.

Patient confirmed with Bundibugyo strain

The Ebola patient was diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain after laboratory tests confirmed the infection on 20 October.

The Director of Public Health Laboratory Services at the NCDC, Dr Olajumoke Babatunde, confirmed the strain during an emergency incident management meeting in Abuja.

“We did three levels of tests, but all were molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” Dr Babatunde said.

The patient, a woman who recently travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, developed symptoms on 7 October, four days after her arrival. She sought treatment at a private health facility in Abuja on 11 October.

Health authorities said her travel history later raised suspicion, prompting further investigations and laboratory testing.

An official at the emergency meeting disclosed that the patient was a diplomat and that her condition had deteriorated into multi-organ failure. Her nationality has not been officially disclosed.

Government intensifies contact tracing

Prof. Pate had earlier confirmed that the patient was in isolation and receiving medical care while health authorities intensified contact tracing.

The Federal Ministry of Health had initially identified 44 close contacts, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts. The two additional domestic staff members subsequently brought the number of people subject to the aviation restriction to 46.

The Federal Government has urged people contacted by public health officials to provide the necessary information and comply fully with instructions designed to prevent further transmission.

Nigeria steps up Ebola preparedness

The latest measures come amid an evolving regional Ebola outbreak, with health authorities concerned about cross-border transmission.

Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014, after an infected traveller introduced the virus into the country. That response involved rapid identification and isolation of cases, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.

The Federal Government is now relying on enhanced surveillance, contact tracing, airport screening and inter-agency coordination to prevent a repeat of the 2014 outbreak.

Health authorities have continued to urge Nigerians to remain calm, rely on verified information and observe appropriate preventive measures.