As of October 29, 2022, 128 confirmed cases and 34 deaths had been reported to the Ugandan Ministry of Health.
Adetifa’s advisory said: "The NCDC, through the National Emerging Viral Haemorrhagic Disease Technical Working Group, met on September 26, 2022, to assess the risk of the importation of EVD to Nigeria and the potential impact to inform in-country preparedness activities.
"Based on available data and the risk assessment conducted, Nigeria is at high risk of the importation of the virus. "This risk is due to the large volume of air travel between Nigeria and Uganda and the mixing of passengers, especially at the regional travel hubs of Nairobi, Addis Ababa, and Kigali airports, and the additional risk from other neighbouring countries that share a direct border with Uganda, should cases arise in other countries in the region."
The NCDC said output from the risk assessment is being used to initiate readiness activities. It said that a number of steps had been taken to stop and lessen the effects of an EVD outbreak in Nigeria.
The advisory continued: "The NCDC Incident Coordination Centre (ICC) is now in alert mode. Development of an incident action plan for the first few cases of EVD has commenced.
"Point of Entry (POE) surveillance has been heightened using the passenger pre-boarding health declaration and screening form in the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP) platform."
"People who come to Nigeria from Uganda or who went through Uganda on their way to Nigeria are checked on for 21 days to see how healthy they are.
"Trained rapid response teams are on standby to be deployed in the event of an outbreak."
"All state Public Health Emergency Operations Centers (PHEOCs) are in alert mode. A medical countermeasures plan is available.
"Amplification of risk communication and engagement with states and partners to strengthen preparedness activities, which include a review of risk communication protocols, plans, and messages in the event of an outbreak."
"Nigeria has an active infection prevention and control programme nationwide with guidelines and training packages developed for healthcare workers."
NCDC said the Ebola virus is transmissible via direct contact with body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died of EVD.
The virus can enter the body through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth. This can also be spread through contact with objects contaminated by infected persons, as well as through direct contact with the blood, body fluids, and tissues of infected fruit bats, monkeys, and chimpanzees.
On the signs and symptoms, NCDC said: "Just like other types of Ebola virus, people infected with the Sudan strain cannot spread the disease until they develop symptoms. "Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to the virus, but are typically eight to 10 days on average."
Some of the symptoms are fever, tiredness, pain in the muscles, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, decreased kidney and liver function, and bleeding inside and outside the body.
To prevent the spread of Ebola, the NCDC advises members of the public to adhere to the following precautions:
Wash your hands frequently using soap and water or use hand sanitizers when soap and water are not readily available and your hands are not visibly soiled.
Avoid physical contact with anyone who has symptoms of an infection with an unknown diagnosis. Healthcare workers are advised to always adhere to standard precautions. This includes the use of personal protective equipment when handling patients and always maintaining a high index of suspicion.
For now, the NCDC told Nigerian citizens and residents to AVOID TRAVELING TO UGANDA UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. This is until public health officials say that the outbreak has been stopped.
It said, "When going to Uganda is unavoidable, travellers should stay away from people who look sick or are thought to have Ebola."
