A parent and a school administrator interviewed by BusinessDay urged Nigerian schools to prepare for possible Ebola exposure after an Abuja case, while health officials monitored 44 close contacts.
Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed one Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory on Oct. 20. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified Bundibugyo virus as the cause. The ministry said it had identified 44 close contacts. Its response at the Abuja hospital includes tighter infection controls and monitoring for possible exposures among health workers, patients, caregivers and travelers.
WHO said the patient developed symptoms Oct. 7 and sought care at a private Abuja facility Oct. 11. She was in isolation and receiving care when the agency announced the positive test result Oct. 20. Health authorities are investigating where she was exposed.
Parent Boniface Chilaka called for clear instructions to schools. He said they should consult health officials and weigh suspending classes or taking other safeguards if an exposure risk is identified. School administrator Isaiah Ogundele proposed awareness campaigns, sanitizer and temperature screening, BusinessDay reported. The outlet also interviewed Dr. Michael Alabi, who called for washing basins and soap. Those proposals were not announced as government policy in the Oct. 20 releases.
A 2015 guide developed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO recommends that schools plan for illness, provide handwashing facilities and separate anyone who develops symptoms. It says schools and health authorities should assess contacts and decide whether classes can continue if an infected student or staff member attended while sick. The guide was prepared during an earlier West African outbreak, not issued as a new directive for Nigeria. Neither the Nigerian ministry nor WHO identified a school exposure in their Oct. 20 releases.
WHO says people become contagious only after symptoms appear. Ebola can spread through contact with an ill person’s bodily fluids or objects contaminated by them, making the identification and monitoring of contacts central to the response.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has scheduled an Oct. 28 virtual meeting of African health ministers to assess the regional outbreak and coordinate responses.
