The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to place 46 individuals who had contact with an Ebola patient on a no-fly list for 21 days as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.
Keyamo disclosed this on Wednesday, October 21, following a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, to discuss measures to contain the outbreak.
According to the aviation minister, Pate provided the names of 44 people who had contact with the patient at a hospital after symptoms developed, as well as two domestic staff members.
He explained that the restriction was intended to ensure that the identified individuals remained available for monitoring and could not travel by air during the 21-day period.
Keyamo said the NCAA had been instructed to inform both domestic and international airlines about the directive to ensure compliance.
The development followed the Federal Government’s confirmation on Tuesday of an imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The patient, reportedly a diplomat, was said to have arrived in Nigeria from Uganda before being admitted to a private hospital, where the infection was subsequently confirmed.
Earlier, Pate announced that health authorities had identified 44 close contacts and commenced tracing activities to establish whether other individuals might have been exposed to the virus.
The aviation minister’s announcement brought the number of people covered by the no-fly directive to 46, including the two domestic staff members.
Beyond restricting the movement of identified contacts, Keyamo said the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had also been directed to intensify surveillance and strengthen emergency response measures at international airports across the country.
He listed enhanced health screening, temperature checks, monitoring of passengers’ travel histories and digital health declarations among the measures being implemented.
FAAN is also expected to work closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to improve airport surveillance and ensure the prompt identification of travellers who may require further medical assessment.
Keyamo said the measures were part of the government’s broader response to health threats following earlier alerts about disease outbreaks in the region.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, as well as contaminated materials.
Symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle pain and severe weakness, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea. In some cases, patients may experience bleeding, although it is not present in every infection.
Health authorities have continued to urge Nigerians to remain vigilant, report suspected cases promptly and cooperate with public health officials.
The Federal Government has also called on healthcare facilities and relevant agencies to strengthen surveillance and infection prevention measures to reduce the risk of further transmission.
