Nigeria’s health authorities are relying on supportive care and intensified surveillance to manage the country’s first reported case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, as no specific treatment or vaccine for the variant has been licensed for use, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, has said.
Pate disclosed this during an interview with Arise Television on Wednesday, saying the infected woman was stable and receiving medical care while health officials worked to trace people who might have been exposed to the virus.
“Specific treatment for this variant of Ebola virus, or a specific vaccine, is not yet licensed, approved to be used,” he said.
The minister added that researchers were exploring potential treatments, including vaccines and other medical compounds, that could help patients infected with the strain.
He explained that the patient received antibiotics and antiviral medication at different stages of her treatment because doctors initially suspected another viral illness before confirming Ebola.
Pate said the patient’s immune response might also be helping her fight the infection, but cautioned that her condition could change as the disease progressed.
“I think we’re very fortunate that she is stable at this moment. We hope she continues to remain stable, because things can change when you have an infectious disease that you don’t fully control the course of illness,” he said.
The Federal Government confirmed the case after a woman who had travelled from Uganda developed symptoms and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja. Subsequent tests identified the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
Pate said Nigeria’s laboratory capacity, healthcare infrastructure and trained medical personnel had helped detect the infection and ensure the patient received care within the health system.
“We’ve got laboratory capacity that has all come together to allow the patient to walk through the Nigerian healthcare system, be detected, and be catered for,” he said.
He added that public health experts and epidemiologists were intensifying contact tracing and other response measures to limit the spread of the virus.
However, the minister stressed that the success of the response also depended on public cooperation, urging Nigerians who might have had contact with the patient to follow instructions from health authorities.
“But it goes beyond the public health system; it also requires Nigerians themselves in how we behave, so that those who may have contact with her continue to comply,” Pate said.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has activated measures including enhanced surveillance, contact tracing and infection prevention, while urging public and private health facilities to remain vigilant and promptly report suspected cases.
As of October 20, Anambra State had followed up 40 persons of interest, with 33 completing their monitoring period and seven remaining under active follow-up. Ogun State was also tracing 111 persons of interest.
GalaxyTV had earlier reported that 44 contacts were initially identified for monitoring.
The United States Mission in Nigeria also issued a health advisory following the reported case, urging its citizens to seek medical guidance if they developed symptoms after a possible exposure.
Ebola is transmitted mainly through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or through contaminated materials.
Symptoms include fever, severe headache, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. They may resemble those of other illnesses, including malaria, making prompt testing and medical assessment important.
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