Nasarawa State Ministry of Health has directed private and non-private well being services throughout the state to intensify illness surveillance and strengthen emergency preparedness following the affirmation of an imported case of Ebola illness within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
The advisory, dated October 21, 2026, adopted affirmation of an Ebola case attributable to the Bundibugyo virus within the FCT on October 20.
According to the ministry, the affected person is in isolation, whereas contact tracing is ongoing in Abuja.
In a public well being advisory signed by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Attah Peter Ombugadu, on behalf of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, the ministry instructed Local Government Area Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (LGA DSNOs), healthcare employees and heads of well being services to implement rapid measures to enhance the state’s readiness to detect and reply to suspected circumstances.
It additionally directed well being employees to promptly report suspected circumstances by means of established surveillance channels to the suitable native authorities illness surveillance officers and the State Epidemiology Unit, with out ready for laboratory affirmation.
Under the advisory, suspected sufferers should be separated from different sufferers, with pointless motion between well being services averted. Appropriate referral preparations should even be made in step with accepted nationwide protocols.
The ministry additional emphasised strict compliance with an infection prevention and management procedures, together with correct use of private protecting gear, hand hygiene, environmental cleansing and secure dealing with of doubtless contaminated supplies.
Healthcare services have been additionally instructed to receive and doc related journey, publicity and speak to histories, whereas guaranteeing that recognized contacts and suspected exposures are promptly reported to public well being authorities for evaluation and follow-up.
As a part of the preparedness measures, well being services are anticipated to overview their emergency response plans, verify the provision of protecting gear, assess triage preparations and referral pathways, and guarantee employees know the suitable channels for reporting suspected circumstances.
The advisory additionally known as for intensified public training on Ebola signs, transmission and prevention, urging well being authorities to discourage rumours, stigma and the circulation of unverified data.
The ministry clarified that Ebola is transmitted by means of direct contact with the blood or different physique fluids of an contaminated symptomatic particular person, or contaminated supplies, and isn’t unfold by means of extraordinary informal contact with an uninfected particular person.
It urged residents to stay calm, cooperate with well being authorities and depend on official sources for details about the illness.
Members of the general public who suspect an Ebola case have been suggested to contact the state Rapid Response Team by means of 07035970293 or 07026366529.
The ministry confused that every one well being services and native authorities surveillance groups should deal with the advisory with urgency and guarantee rapid compliance as a part of efforts to strengthen Nasarawa State’s preparedness in opposition to potential public well being threats.
