The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has warned that the country was at a high risk of importing the Ebola virus due to the large volume of air travel between Nigeria and Uganda.
Recall that Uganda declared it had recorded an outbreak of the virus on September 20. As of October 29 2022, the Uganda Ministry of Health had reported 128 confirmed cases and 34 deaths.
The agency in a public health advisory signed by its Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa on Monday in Abuja, cautioned Nigerians and other residents against embarking on non-essential travel to Uganda for now and those who must travel should ensure they avoid contact with obviously sick persons or suspected cases of Ebola.
While adding that the Port Health Service of the Federal Ministry of Health had scaled-up screening of passengers returning from Uganda at all Points of Entries (POEs), he asked travellers to Nigeria with recent travel history to or transit through Uganda within the past 21 days to promptly call 6232 or state ministry of health hotlines for assessment and testing if they notice symptoms of either fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhoea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain or unexplained bleeding or bruising.
