FG Quarantines High-Risk Ebola Contacts, Allows Political Rallies, Public Gatherings

FG Quarantines High-Risk Ebola Contacts, Allows Political Rallies, Public Gatherings The Federal Government has quarantined high-risk contacts of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) case but maintained that political campaigns, conferences and other major public gatherings can proceed for now. The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, explaining that the government had yet to establish sufficient scientific grounds to recommend restrictions on planned public events.Pate said the decision would remain under review, with any changes guided by evolving public health evidence and expert advice. The government’s position comes as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, raising concerns about the potential risks associated with large gatherings amid the confirmed Ebola case. The minister explained that health authorities had identified people who came into contact with the patient at a hospital, a private medical facility and within her domestic environment. According to him, the contacts were categorised according to their exposure levels, with high-risk individuals placed in designated quarantine facilities while others were isolated and monitored under public health supervision.

He said the government had activated its incident management system, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) coordinating the operational response alongside other relevant agencies. Pate added that hospitals nationwide had been alerted to strengthen their preparedness, provide isolation facilities and ensure that healthcare workers strictly observed infection prevention and control procedures. He also emphasised the need to sensitise private healthcare providers, noting that the patient had visited a private medical facility before the infection was confirmed. The minister said the government was working with state authorities and international partners to strengthen surveillance, contact tracing and other containment measures to prevent further transmission. He urged Nigerians to remain calm, follow public health advisories and avoid spreading unverified information about the outbreak. Pate maintained that the decision to allow public gatherings was not permanent, stressing that restrictions could be introduced if the situation changed or new evidence indicated an increased risk to public health. He also appealed to political leaders and other stakeholders not to politicise the outbreak, describing disease prevention and containment as a collective responsibility. The minister expressed confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to contain the infection, citing the country’s experience in managing the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the existing public health surveillance system. He urged citizens to maintain proper hygiene, avoid direct contact with the body fluids of potentially infected persons and ensure that suspected cases were promptly reported to health authorities.The Federal Government said it would continue monitoring the situation and adjust its response as necessary to prevent the confirmed case from developing into a wider outbreak.