The Federal Government has directed aviation authorities to place 46 people who had contact with an Ebola-affected individual on a 21-day no-fly list to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo (SAN) issued the directive after a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Muhammad Ali Pate on the emerging Ebola threat.
Keyamo in a post on X said Pate had provided a list of 44 people who met the affected individual at a hospital after the person developed symptoms along with two domestic staff members.
He said aviation authorities had been directed to restrict the identified contacts’ air travel while health authorities worked to isolate them pending confirmation that they had not contracted the virus.
The minister said the 21-day restriction was based on the period within which Ebola symptoms would normally be expected to manifest following exposure.
‘I have therefore directed the NCAA to immediately inform all local and international airlines of this development.
‘I have also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to heighten Ebola response and surveillance protocols across all international airports’ Keyamo stated.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is expected to communicate the directive to airlines operating domestic and international routes while relevant agencies are to coordinate efforts to ensure compliance.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has also been directed to strengthen Ebola response measures and surveillance at all international airports across the country.
According to Keyamo FAAN is implementing enhanced health screening temperature checks tracking of passengers’ travel histories and digital health declarations.
He added that stricter coordination among relevant agencies particularly the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) would support the measures.
The aviation minister said the enhanced protocols were already being implemented following regional outbreak alerts.
The latest measures highlight the aviation sector’s role in preventing cross-border transmission of infectious diseases given the speed and scale of international air travel.
The 21-day monitoring period aligns with the recognised Ebola incubation period during which an exposed person may develop symptoms; health authorities generally advise monitoring those with relevant exposure and taking prompt action if symptoms emerge.
Ebola is a severe viral disease that can cause fever weakness vomiting diarrhoea and in some cases internal or external bleeding; it spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of a symptomatic infected person or with contaminated materials.
People who have been exposed do not automatically become infected and individuals who are not showing symptoms do not transmit Ebola through ordinary social contact. Health authorities therefore rely on contact tracing monitoring infection prevention and rapid isolation of suspected cases to contain outbreaks.
As the measures take effect the NCAA FAAN and the NCDC are expected to sustain surveillance and information-sharing to minimise the risk of an imported or locally transmitted case.
However the minister’s statement did not disclose the identities of the 46 contacts their current health status or the precise circumstances of the reported exposure nor did it specify whether any of the contacts had tested positive for Ebola.