The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ban 46 contacts of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient from flying for 21 days to prevent the possible spread of the disease.
Keyamo directed the NCAA to notify domestic and international airlines of the restriction and ensure compliance.
The minister disclosed this on Wednesday after a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, to discuss strategies to prevent further spread of the virus.
According to Keyamo, the 46 people comprise 44 individuals who came into contact with the infected woman at a hospital after she developed symptoms, as well as two members of her domestic staff.
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He said efforts were ongoing to isolate the identified contacts while health authorities assess their exposure and determine whether they had contracted the virus.
The minister also directed the NCAA to immediately notify all domestic and international airlines of the restriction.
In addition, Keyamo instructed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to strengthen Ebola surveillance and response measures at all international airports across the country.
The measures include enhanced health screening, temperature checks, tracking of travellers’ histories, digital health declarations and improved coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
According to the minister, the measures follow earlier alerts about Ebola outbreaks in the region.
Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, triggering contact tracing and other containment measures.
The patient, a woman who recently travelled from Uganda to Nigeria on an international flight, is receiving treatment in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja.
It was reported that health authorities identified 44 close contacts of the patient and commenced efforts to trace other people who might have been exposed to the virus.
The 21-day no-fly restriction is intended to prevent the identified contacts from travelling by air during the period in which symptoms of the disease may develop.
Ebola virus disease is a severe illness transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or contaminated materials.
The incubation period typically ranges from two to 21 days, making contact tracing, monitoring and isolation important measures in controlling the spread of the disease.
