Ebola: Senate Moves To Amend 1926 Quarantine Act

The Senate has resolved to engage the Presidency and relevant health agencies on the amendment of Nigeria’s Quarantine Act of 1926 to align the law with modern public health standards and the International Health Regulations following the confirmation of an Ebola case in Abuja.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio gave the directive during Wednesday’s plenary, asking the Senate Committee on Judiciary to liaise with the executive arm of government and relevant health authorities to develop proposals for reviewing the century-old legislation.

The directive followed a motion sponsored by Francis Faduyile (APC, Ondo South) on the need to enforce mandatory health screening at international airports and other entry points to prevent the spread of Ebola and other epidemic-prone diseases.

Akpabio said the amendment process should begin immediately, stressing the need for collaboration between the legislature, the executive and relevant agencies to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to contain the outbreak.

He warned that failure to take timely action could lead to a wider public health crisis.

The Senate subsequently urged the federal government to immediately release emergency funds from the Service-Wide Vote to support measures aimed at containing the virus.

The lawmakers also called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and Port Health Services to enforce compulsory health screening for all international arrivals at airports, seaports and designated land borders.

They further urged authorities to intensify screening of passengers who had been in or transited through affected areas within the preceding 21 days, irrespective of their nationality or country of departure.

The Senate also called on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to ensure that all entry points were adequately staffed and equipped with trained port health officers, thermal scanners, protective equipment and isolation rooms.

Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case on Tuesday involving a woman who recently arrived on an international flight from Uganda. The patient is receiving medical care in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said 44 people had been identified as contacts of the patient, with health authorities monitoring them and tracking possible exposure.

During the plenary, lawmakers rejected a proposal for senators to visit the entry points used by the patient before she was isolated in Abuja, opting instead to press for immediate funding and stronger screening measures.

The proposed amendment to the Quarantine Act is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s legal and institutional framework for preventing and responding to infectious disease outbreaks.