Federal Government Alerts On Ebola As DR Congo Confirms Outbreak

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a public health advisory following confirmation of a fresh Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to the DRC’s Ministry of Health, as of September 4, 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, were recorded in Kasai Province.

The outbreak has mainly affected the Bulape and Mweka health zones, with patients presenting symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and haemorrhage. Laboratory tests conducted at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa confirmed the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus as the cause. The case fatality rate is currently estimated at 57 per cent.

Reassuring Nigerians, the NCDC stressed that no case of Ebola had yet been detected in Nigeria.
However, it said the agency, in collaboration with relevant ministries, departments, agencies and partners, had heightened surveillance at points of entry and is strengthening infection prevention and control measures in health facilities nationwide.

NCDC, in its Public Health Advisory released yesterday, said risk communication and community engagement structures had also been activated to counter rumours, misinformation, and public anxiety.

Ebola virus disease, formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe illness with a fatality rate ranging between 25 and 90 per cent. The virus has five known species; Bundibugyo, Reston, Tai Forest, Sudan, and Zaire, the last of which is responsible for the current outbreak in the DRC.