The Federal Government yesterday urged Nigerians to dismiss rumours suggesting a case of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) had been discovered in the country.
The scare came as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) battles to contain an outbreak threatening to get out of control while Kenya attempts to douse concerns over a woman with related symptoms.
An unnamed female had arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, onboard a Kenya Airways flight on Monday, with symptoms of high fever. Her temperature, detected by a standby surveillance team, immediately threw the arrival section of the airport into panic mode.
The permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Abdullaziz Mashi Abdullahi, described the rumour as false, urging people to disregard it and discourage the circulation of unverified information capable of causing harm and unnecessary anxiety.
He explained that following the report of an outbreak in the DRC, officials of the ministry’s Port Health Services had intensified surveillance at entry points to prevent a spillover.
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According to him, sick passengers have since then been undergoing screening. “I can say categorically that none of the patients screened tested positive for Ebola or any deadly disease,” he said via a statement in Abuja yesterday
He disclosed that in line with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO), a recent preliminary risk assessment conducted by the Nigeria Ebola Preparedness team, coordinated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), indicated that the overall risk of EVD importation to Nigeria from the DRC and Uganda was low.
He nevertheless maintained that the ministry would not relax as government remains committed to protecting the health of Nigerians and would sustain partnership with the global health watchdog and other stakeholders.