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FG Alerts Nigerians, Activates Emergency Measures Following Ebola Outbreak in Uganda

*Cancer claimed 79,542 lives in Nigeria in 2022, says advocacy group
*UNAIDS calls for continuation of essential HIV services
Michael Olugbode, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Chinedu Eze in Lagos
In a bid to prevent a recurrence of the deadly Ebola virus, which was brought into Nigeria in 2014 by a Liberian national, the federal government yesterday announced that except for essential services, citizens of the country should stay away from impacted nations until further notice.
The government also advised persons already in Nigeria but with recent travel history to or transit through countries with Ebola cases in the last 21 days who experience symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhoea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising to adhere to the certain guidelines.
It said that although there are no cases of the Ebola disease in the country yet, it had commenced efforts with relevant Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), and partners through the National Emerging Viral Hemorrhagic Diseases (EVHD) Technical Working Group, to monitor disease occurrence.
In 2014, Nigeria experienced an Ebola outbreak that was part of a larger West African epidemic, after an infected traveler from Liberia arrived in Lagos, Nigeria on July 20, 2014, potentially exposing 72 people at the airport and hospital.
The Federal Ministry of Health declared an Ebola emergency, but not before the outbreak spread to Lagos and Port Harcourt, with 20 cases laboratory-confirmed, and 8 people dead by the end the dust settled.
The government said a contingency plan had been put in place with heightened surveillance especially at the points of entry, and an optimising the working group, which has continued to monitor disease occurrence and has initiated measures that can be activated to scale up testing if the need arises.
A statement by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), stated that there are no cases of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria, but pointed out that it has initiated measures to strengthen preparedness in the country.
The statement signed by the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, said it also placed the country’s health system on alert with an emergency response team in place to maintain round the clock surveillance of possible outbreak in the country.
The disclosure was made as a leading anti-cancer advocacy group , Project Pink Blue, said yesterday that Nigeria recorded 79,542 cancer deaths in 2022, urging the authorities to take additional action to curb the ravaging effect of the ailment.
However, the NCDC noted that the measures to ensure that Ebola is not brought to Nigeria, include the update of its emergency contingency plan, heightened surveillance especially at the points of entry, and optimising diagnostic capacity for testing in designated laboratories in cities with international airports of entry and the national reference laboratory.
In addition, Idris said that all lassa fever testing laboratories can be activated to scale up testing if the need arises.
He said that though the World Health Organisation (WHO) had advised against any restrictions to travel and /or trade to Uganda, the NCDC was urging Nigerian citizens and residents to avoid all but essential travel to countries with confirmed cases of the Ebola Virus Disease.
He said: “Persons already in Nigeria but with recent travel history to or transit through countries with Ebola cases in the last 21 days who experience symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhoea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising should adhere to the following guidelines:
“Promptly call 6232 or State Ministry of Health hotlines for assessment and testing. Shelter-in-place to avoid further spread through shared transport systems (public or private) until health authorities reach out. Await dedicated responders for assessment and possible transport to a designated treatment center if required.
“On our part, we will continue to strengthen surveillance across the country, including our borders and airports especially for travelers from affected areas; alerting our health workers to heighten their level of suspicion for suspected cases; enhancing our laboratory capacities for quick testing of suspected cases; as well coordination with the WHO and the African Regional Health Authorities to monitor developments and share critical information’’.
The DG assured that NCDC will continue to manage several other disease outbreaks, like lassa fever, meningitis, diphtheria, mpox, measles and anthrax, ravaging communities and will continue to provide periodic updates on these.
On January 30, 2025, the Ministry of Health in Uganda confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola virus. The Ebola disease was caused by the Sudan specie, in Wakiso, Mukono and Mbale city in Mbale district of Uganda.
Only one case has so far been reported, and one death (confirmed by postmortem) with 44 transmissions in Uganda.
Also, a leading anti-cancer advocacy group , Project Pink Blue has advised the federal and state governments and all other private sectors to invest in advanced cancer technologies, precision medicine, targeted therapy and medical equipment instead of just building hospitals.
As a means of arresting the situation, Pink Blue urged federal and state governments to ensure that hospitals acquire equipment and technical know-how that can give cancer patients the best treatment.
“Instead of just building, the government and private sector partners should invest in the existing cancer centres and hospitals and use the funds for buying blocks and aluminium to purchase the equipment, precision medicine, advanced medicines and workforce.
”Cancer is now a critical public health problem in Nigeria, with 127,763 new cases of cancer and 79,542 cancer deaths in 2022,” it said.
The group stated this during their 10th World Cancer Day walk, race, cycle, ride, skate and marathon against cancer at Transcorp Hilton Abuja at the weekend.
The Executive Director of Project Pink Blue, Runcie Chidebe, said: “Today, we are calling on the federal and state governments and all other private sectors to invest in advanced cancer technologies, precision medicine, targeted therapy and medical equipment instead of just building hospitals.
“Building beautiful cancer hospitals is good, but buildings alone cannot save cancer patients; buildings alone cannot reduce the burden of cancer in Nigeria nor give cancer patients the best treatment.”
He continued: “It is excellent cancer equipment such as PET CT Scans, brachytherapy, and newer radiotherapy machines that can be used to detect and treat patients excellently. It is the advanced medicines such as precision medicine, including targeted therapy, that can target the cancerous tumour that is most needed in Nigeria.”
A breast cancer survivor and programme coordinator of Project Pink Blue, Gloria, Okwu, said that for the past 10 years, the group has brought together over 20,000 Nigerians to the walk, provided over 5,000 cancer screenings and supported over 500 cancer patients.
“As a cancer survivor myself, this year’s theme resonates with me greatly. It means that cancer is more than just a medical diagnosis; cancer is a deeply personal matter, and behind every diagnosis lies a unique human story; this could be a story of grief, pain, healing, resilience, love and otherwise,” she said.
She said that empowerment of the cancer workforce, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, pathologists and other professionals who would operate the machine and prescribe the medicines would save cancer patients.
Nigeria has the highest burden of cancer in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. The World Cancer Day is a global event established in the year 2000 by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Meanwhile, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has called for a continuation of all essential HIV services while the United States pauses its funding for foreign aid.
The UNAIDS had on 29 January welcomed the news that United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had approved an “Emergency Humanitarian Waiver,” allowing people to continue accessing lifesaving HIV treatment funded by the US in 55 countries worldwide.
More than 20 million people – two-thirds of all people living with HIV accessing HIV treatment globally – are directly supported by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The statement at the weekend by UNAIDS, said that while continuity of HIV treatment was essential, services must continue to be monitored, and oversight provided for quality and other critical HIV services for people, especially marginalised people including children, women, and key populations, must continue.
“Last year, PEPFAR provided over 83.8 million people with critical HIV testing services; reached 2.3 million adolescent girls and young women with HIV prevention services; 6.6 million orphans, vulnerable children, and their caregivers received HIV care and support; and 2.5 million people were newly enrolled on pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection.
“Since PEPFAR was created, the US has been steadfast in its leadership in the fight against HIV. The US has saved millions of lives through its programmes, particularly in the countries most affected by HIV. PEPFAR has had remarkable results in stopping new infections and expanding access to HIV treatment – and this must continue.
“Globally, there are 1.3 million people that are newly infected with HIV every year, 3,500 every day. Young women and girls in Africa are at alarmingly high risk of HIV, where 3,100 young women and girls aged 15 to 24 years become infected with HIV every week and at least half of all people from key populations are not being reached with prevention services.
“Pregnant women in high HIV prevalent areas must be tested for HIV to determine whether they are living with HIV so they can protect their baby by taking antiretroviral therapy prior to birth. As a result, babies will be born HIV-free,” it said.
The statement lamented that many organisations providing services for people living with HIV that are funded, or partly funded, by PEPFAR have reported they will shut their doors due to the funding pause with lack of clarity and great uncertainty about the future.
It added that UNAIDS was evaluating the impact and will provide routine and real-time updates to share the latest global and country information, data, guidance, and references.
The statement said as the waiver was effective for a review period of all U.S. foreign development assistance, future coverage of HIV services – including for treatment – remains unclear and the lives of the millions of people supported by PEPFAR are in jeopardy and could be at stake.
Anele Yawa, General Secretary for the Treatment Action Campaign expressed worry, noting that: “The PEPFAR-fund freeze will take South Africa and the world back in terms of the gains we have made in our response to HIV.”
He added: “We are asking ourselves how we are going to cope in the next three months as people are going to be left behind in terms of prevention, treatment and care.”
It said that at the moment, the world eagerly await when finally it can get the upper hand on one of the world’s deadliest pandemics, aided by new long-acting HIV prevention and treatment medicines coming to market this year,
UNAIDS urged the US to continue its unparalleled leadership and accelerate and not diminish, efforts to end AIDS.
It further said that UNAIDS looked forward to partnering with the United States, other donors and countries most affected by HIV to ensure a robust and sustainable response to HIV and to achieve the collective goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.