By Folasade Akpan
The Federal Government has confirmed the evacuation of Nigeria’s first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to Switzerland following significant clinical improvement.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said this on Monday in a post on his official X handle.
Pate said the evacuation was approved by him and carried out early on Monday, with the patient accompanied by her spouse, who remained asymptomatic.
He said the patient was stable, conscious and communicating, while her laboratory test results were approaching baseline levels.
“The index patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards baseline.
“This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” he said.
Pate commended the clinical staff for providing quality care and public health personnel for ensuring that the evacuation complied with appropriate public health measures.
He said the government would provide further updates after the patient and her spouse arrived safely at their destination.
The minister said public health measures remained in place to ensure that the imported virus was contained, urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and rely on credible information sources.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease on Oct. 20, following laboratory confirmation of infection in a woman with recent travel history to Uganda.
The patient developed symptoms on Oct. 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and sought medical care in Abuja on Oct. 11, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) activated its incident management system, while health authorities commenced contact tracing, laboratory investigations and infection prevention measures.
The NCDC’s Oct. 24 situation report identified 53 contacts linked to the case, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s spouse.
None had tested positive at the time of the report.
On Oct. 23, Pate said genomic analysis showed that the virus isolated from the Nigerian patient appeared closely related to that identified in the index case in Kenya.
He, however, cautioned that the genetic relationship did not establish a direct transmission link between the two cases.
The Federal Government has also intensified surveillance at points of entry, strengthened infection prevention and control in health facilities, and urged healthcare workers to promptly report suspected cases.
Bundibugyo virus disease is caused by a species of Ebola virus. Transmission occurs through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials.
The government has urged Nigerians to observe basic preventive measures, cooperate with public health officials and avoid spreading unverified information about the disease. (NAN)
