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By Doris Obinna
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned against reports declaring Nigeria Ebola-free, insisting that although the country currently has no confirmed case following the evacuation of its only confirmed patient, contacts of the infected traveller remain under surveillance.
The Director General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, said the reports were inaccurate and misleading, stressing that the absence of a confirmed case does not mean the country’s surveillance and response efforts should be relaxed.
Speaking at a virtual capacity-building workshop for journalists on effective Ebola reporting on Tuesday, Idris said the infected woman, who returned to Abuja from Uganda, was evacuated to Switzerland with her husband on 26 October at the request and expense of her government.
He said she had improved clinically and was stable before leaving Nigeria.
Idris disclosed that contacts of the patient were being monitored daily, with health authorities working to identify and track secondary contacts to establish whether there had been any community transmission.
He warned that misinformation could undermine public health efforts, urging journalists to verify reports through official channels before publication and promptly correct false claims with the same prominence given to the original reports.
“Accountability is not misinformation,” he said, acknowledging that questions about Nigeria’s preparedness, funding and contact-tracing efforts were legitimate and should be addressed by the authorities.
The NCDC chief also defended the government’s decision to provide N100,000 weekly support to people placed under quarantine, explaining that the intervention was intended to ease the hardship of individuals restricted from moving freely in the public interest.
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He said the government recognised the psychological and welfare challenges associated with compulsory quarantine, adding that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other state governments also had responsibilities in supporting affected individuals.
Idris dismissed claims that the evacuation of the patient amounted to a vote of no confidence in Nigeria’s health system, maintaining that she was in better clinical condition when she left the country than when she was admitted.
He also described reports suggesting that elections would be postponed because of the outbreak as false.
Urging the media to avoid sensationalism and protect the identities of patients and contacts, he warned that publishing names, photographs and addresses could expose affected individuals and their families to stigma.
He reiterated that Ebola spreads through contact with the body fluids of an infected person who is sick or has died, not through the air, and urged anyone with fever and a relevant travel or contact history to call the NCDC’s 6232 hotline and seek medical attention.
The NCDC chief pledged regular briefings, verified communication channels and situation reports to keep journalists informed, stressing that the public needed accurate information rather than louder headlines.
“The difference is that a question seeks an answer, and a rumour supplies one,” he said, urging journalists to report responsibly and help prevent misinformation from undermining the country’s response.
