The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to place 46 people who came in contact with an Ebola patient on a 21-day no-fly list.
Keyamo announced the directive on Wednesday in a post on X following a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, on measures to contain the outbreak.
Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease on Tuesday after a diplomat who reportedly arrived from Uganda fell ill in the Federal Capital Territory.
Pate had earlier said that health authorities had identified 44 close contacts of the infected diplomat for monitoring and contact tracing.
Keyamo said Pate provided him with the names of the 44 people who had contact with the patient at a hospital after symptoms emerged, as well as two domestic staff members.
He added that plans were underway to isolate the contacts until it was confirmed that they had not contracted the virus.
The minister said he had instructed the NCAA to notify all domestic and international airlines of the travel restrictions.
He also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to enhance surveillance and emergency response operations at all international airports across the country.
The measures, according to Keyamo, include more intensive health screening, temperature checks, reviews of travellers’ movement histories, digital health declarations and closer collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
He said the actions followed earlier regional alerts concerning the outbreak.
Ebola is a viral disease spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, the remains of someone who has died from the disease or contaminated materials.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says early symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea. Severe cases can involve internal or external bleeding.
Health authorities are continuing efforts to trace and monitor people who may have been exposed in order to prevent further transmission.
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