The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has heightened surveillance at airports nationwide following the confirmation of an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory.
FAAN said it was working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Port Health Services, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and other agencies to strengthen measures aimed at preventing the spread of the disease.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the authority’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, said FAAN was maintaining heightened vigilance across airport operations.
“FAAN is maintaining heightened vigilance across airport operations and will continue to coordinate with public health authorities, align its response with further guidance, and support additional measures considered necessary to safeguard passengers, airport personnel, and the wider public,” Agbebire said.
The authority urged passengers, airline operators, airport workers and other users to remain vigilant, follow health screening guidelines and rely on verified information from official health agencies.
FAAN also reaffirmed its readiness to work with relevant agencies to maintain safe airport operations and support national efforts to contain the infection.
The alert follows the Federal Government’s confirmation on Tuesday of Nigeria’s first case in the current Ebola outbreak.
The patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, is receiving treatment in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said health authorities had identified 44 close contacts for monitoring and had begun contact tracing.
The World Health Organization said investigations were continuing to establish where the woman contracted the virus.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, or contaminated materials. Health authorities have urged Nigerians to remain calm and report suspected cases promptly.
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