Reports emanating from Abuja, say a case of Ebola virus has been confirmed in the federal capital territory, FCT.
Federal government in a statement issued on Tuesday, and endorsed by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, disclosed that contact tracing has already commenced.
According to the statement about 44 close contacts have already been identified as part of measures to stop further transmission.
Available reports indicate that a woman who recently returned from Uganda tested positive for the virus at Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja and has been confirmed at the Turkish-run hospital located outside Abuja’s city centre.
However, it is not yet clear how the woman contracted the virus or whether she had been exposed to an infected person before travelling to Nigeria.
Ebola virus disease is a severe and potentially fatal illness that can spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms, as well as through contaminated materials.
Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. In some cases, patients develop vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and internal or external bleeding.
The disease can initially resemble other illnesses, making prompt medical assessment and laboratory testing important when an infection is suspected.
Recall, Nigeria previously recorded an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller arrived in Lagos from Liberia.
Meanwhile the federal government has assured that every measure has been put in place to prevent escalation and unnecessary anxiety and fears.
