Nigeria’s confirmation of a new Ebola virus disease case has renewed attention on the potentially deadly infection, its transmission routes, warning signs and the public health measures required to prevent further spread.
The coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Ali Pate, announced on Tuesday that laboratory tests had confirmed the infection in a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.
According to Pate, the patient was admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was established.
“She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care,” the minister said in a statement.
The Federal Government said contact tracing had begun, with 44 close contacts identified at the time of the announcement, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who might have been exposed during travel.
The development comes as health authorities continue to monitor Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa, following the World Health Organisation’s declaration in May of a public health emergency of international concern over outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
WHAT IS EBOLA VIRUS?
Ebola is a severe infectious disease caused by viruses that can lead to serious illness and death, particularly without timely medical attention.
The disease was first identified in 1976 and named after the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire.
Scientific evidence suggests that fruit bats may serve as natural hosts, although the precise animal reservoirs are not fully established for every Ebola virus species.
The infection can spread between humans through direct exposure to the blood and other bodily fluids of infected people, including those who have died from the disease, as well as through contaminated objects.
Transmission can occur when infectious materials enter the body through broken skin or mucous membranes, including the eyes, nose and mouth.
Contaminated bedding, clothing, needles, syringes and medical equipment can also pose risks when appropriate infection prevention and control measures are not observed.
SYMPTOMS AND WARNING SIGNS
Ebola symptoms typically develop between two and 21 days after exposure, according to the WHO, although the early signs may resemble malaria, typhoid fever and other common illnesses.
Initial symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, sore throat and sudden fatigue, while the illness may subsequently progress to vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and skin rash.
In severe cases, patients may experience impaired kidney or liver function, difficulty breathing and internal or external bleeding.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also identifies loss of appetite, lethargy, aching joints, difficulty swallowing and stomach pain among possible symptoms.
Although Ebola is commonly associated with haemorrhaging, bleeding does not occur in every case and may appear during the later stages of the illness.
Anyone who develops compatible symptoms after a possible exposure should seek urgent medical assessment and inform healthcare workers about their travel history and potential contact with an infected person.
HOW DANGEROUS IS THE DISEASE?
Ebola can cause severe complications and death, but infection does not invariably result in a fatal outcome.
Prompt diagnosis, supportive treatment and appropriate clinical care can improve patients’ chances of survival.
The disease can also trigger outbreaks when infected individuals are not identified quickly and adequate infection prevention measures are lacking.
HOW NIGERIA CONTAINED THE 2014 OUTBREAK
Nigeria previously confronted Ebola in July 2014, when Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian government official travelling from Liberia, arrived in Lagos while infected with the virus.
Sawyer was admitted to a private hospital, where the infection was suspected and subsequently confirmed, before he died on July 25.
The case raised concerns about widespread transmission because Lagos is a major commercial centre with extensive international travel connections.
However, Nigeria halted sustained transmission within three months through coordinated surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, treatment and public awareness campaigns.
The Federal Ministry of Health, Lagos State Government, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and international partners established an Ebola Incident Management Centre on July 23, three days after Sawyer’s arrival.
A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigation identified the rapid organisation of the response and the use of existing public health infrastructure as important factors in containing the outbreak.
Nigeria also adapted emergency-response structures developed through its polio eradication programme, while the Lagos Emergency Operations Centre provided an operational base for coordinating activities.
Response teams identified and monitored 894 contacts during the outbreak, with the WHO later reporting that contact tracing covered all identified contacts in Lagos and 99.8 per cent in Port Harcourt.
The response also established an Ebola treatment unit within two weeks and trained approximately 2,000 Ebola caregivers, while about 19,000 home visits were conducted as part of contact tracing.
Public information campaigns, including house-to-house visits and radio messages in local languages, helped explain the disease and encourage cooperation with health authorities.
The current case places renewed emphasis on early detection, isolation, contact tracing and public cooperation as essential measures for limiting Ebola transmission.
