The Niger State Government has positioned its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre on heightened alert and intensified illness surveillance following the affirmation of an Ebola Virus Disease case in Abuja.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Murtala Muhammad Bagana, disclosed this in an announcement on Wednesday, stressing that no case of Ebola had been detected in Niger State.
He mentioned the precautionary measures have been vital due to frequent motion between Niger State and Abuja, actions across the Minna International Airport and the state’s worldwide border with the Republic of Benin.
The Federal Government introduced on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, that laboratory assessments confirmed an Ebola case involving a lady who just lately arrived from Uganda. The affected person is receiving therapy in isolation, whereas 44 shut contacts have been recognized.
Bagana mentioned the state was coordinating its preparedness efforts with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, the World Health Organisation, WHO, native authorities well being authorities and different improvement companions.
He disclosed that private and non-private well being amenities had been directed to instantly report suspected circumstances, whereas Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers, DSNOs, and native authorities well being groups have been strengthening surveillance, notification and investigation.
The ministry can also be reviewing preparations for the secure transportation and isolation of suspected circumstances and reinforcing an infection prevention and management measures, together with the usage of protecting gear and secure dealing with of scientific waste.
The authorities urged residents to stay calm, wash their palms continuously with cleaning soap and water or use alcohol-based sanitisers, and keep away from direct contact with the blood or physique fluids of anybody suspected of getting Ebola.
Residents who develop signs similar to fever, extreme weak spot, headache, muscle ache, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, significantly after potential publicity, ought to keep away from shut contact with others and phone public well being authorities earlier than visiting a medical facility.
The ministry additionally suggested anybody who suspects publicity to hunt steerage promptly, even when they really feel effectively, and warned in opposition to spreading unverified data or stigmatising folks being assessed by well being officers.
It emphasised that dwelling in or travelling to Niger State doesn’t, by itself, imply an individual has been uncovered to the virus.
Suspected circumstances will be reported to the Director of Public Health on 0703 458 3079, the State Epidemiologist on 0807 721 3070, or the State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer on 0807 529 1989. The NCDC nationwide toll-free helpline is 6232, the place accessible.
Bagana reaffirmed the state authorities’s dedication to defending residents, healthcare employees and guests, urging the general public to depend on verified data from recognised well being authorities.
