Ebola Alert: Symptoms Nigerians Should Not Ignore as FG Confirms Case in Abuja

-

 

By Victor Olubiye

Nigerians have been advised to remain alert to possible symptoms of Ebola following the confirmation of an imported case in the Federal Capital Territory, with health authorities intensifying efforts to identify and monitor people who may have been exposed to the virus.


The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed the case on October 20, 2026, after laboratory tests identified Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in a woman who had recently travelled to Nigeria from Uganda.


According to the World Health Organisation, the patient developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and sought medical attention at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11. Laboratory confirmation was received on October 20.


The patient was placed in isolation and was receiving medical care, while health authorities began investigating her travel and exposure history.


The WHO said 44 contacts had been identified and were being monitored as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.


Symptoms to watch for

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention lists fever, headache, unusual weakness, muscle or joint pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain among the possible symptoms of Ebola virus disease.


Other symptoms may include difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, hiccups and unexplained bleeding.


However, these symptoms do not automatically mean that a person has Ebola. Some can also occur in illnesses commonly found in Nigeria, including malaria and other infections.


The NCDC advises health workers to consider a person's symptoms alongside their travel history and possible exposure to an infected person.


Under the agency's case definition, a person who develops compatible symptoms after travelling to an area reporting Ebola cases, or following contact with a confirmed or probable case, may require assessment for the disease.


The incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to 21 days. This means symptoms may not appear immediately after exposure.

How the disease spreads

Ebola can spread through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms. Contact with contaminated materials can also transmit the virus.


The disease can also spread through contact with the body fluids of someone who has died from it.


Ebola is not an airborne disease, according to the NCDC's public-health advisory. Casual proximity to someone, without the relevant exposure, should not automatically be treated as evidence of infection.


Health workers are particularly important in preventing transmission because they may be exposed while caring for patients if appropriate infection-prevention measures are not followed.


What Nigerians should do

Anyone who develops a fever or other compatible symptoms after a possible exposure should seek prompt guidance from health authorities and disclose their travel or contact history.


People who suspect exposure should avoid close contact with others while seeking medical assessment. They should also contact health authorities for instructions on where and how to obtain care rather than travelling unnecessarily between health facilities.


Members of the public should not attempt to confirm Ebola by checking symptoms alone or rely on unverified social media messages to make medical decisions.


The Federal Government has activated a public-health response, while the NCDC is coordinating surveillance, contact tracing and other measures intended to identify possible cases and prevent further transmission.


For now, health authorities are monitoring identified contacts and investigating the circumstances surrounding the imported case.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Explainer: Sex Every Day Won’t ‘Finish’ Your Sperm — But These Things Can Affect Fertility

-
Image
  By The Creativity Site For some young people, the fear is simple: if a man has sex and ejaculates almost every day, will he eventually “finish” his sperm and struggle to have children when he is ready? The answer from available medical evidence is no. Frequent sex or ejaculation does not, by itself, cause permanent infertility. In fact, guidance from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) says the belief that frequent ejaculation reduces male fertility is a common misconception. ASRM cites research involving nearly 10,000 semen samples which found that, among men with normal semen quality, sperm concentration and movement remained normal even with daily ejaculation. The organisation also says couples trying to conceive should not be advised to limit how often they have sex because intercourse more frequently than every one to two days is not associated with lower chances of conception. But that does not mean every man who has sex frequently will automatically have ...
Read more

FISU Presidential Race: DokTur Awo Declares, Unveils Three-Point Agenda

-
Image
DokTur Awo By Victor Olubiye Awosina Kehinde Johnson, popularly known as DokTur Awo, has declared his intention to contest for the office of president of the Federation of Ijesa Students’ Union (FISU). Johnson, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, made his intention known in a declaration statement in which he outlined his leadership experience and proposed agenda for the union. He said his ambition was driven by a desire to contribute to the growth, unity and advancement of Ijesa students across the six local government areas of Ijesaland. Johnson, who hails from Okun Compound, Imesi-Ile, in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State, said his leadership experience had strengthened his commitment to student representation, accountability, inclusiveness and service delivery. He listed his previous positions to include president of the Obokun Students’ Union between 2025 and 2026 and president of the Imesi-Ile National Students’ Union from 2023 to 2025. He also served as na...
Read more

Excellence International Schools Elects New Prefects After Two Weeks of Campaigns

-
Image
The Newly Elected Prefects   By The Creativity Site Excellence International Schools, Koboro, along Onigbedu Road, Itori, Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, has elected new student prefects following a voting exercise held on Friday, October 9, 2026 for the 2026/2027 Academic Session. The election, which followed two weeks of campaigns by the contestants, was conducted through a paper ballot system in which students wrote the names of their preferred candidates on paper and dropped their votes into a ballot box. Teachers who participated in the conduct of the election to promote a free and fair process included Mr Olubiye Victor Segun, Mrs Odukoya Temitope, Miss Abolade Toyosi, Mr Femi Awe and Mr Amosun Taiwo. At the end of the exercise, Awe David emerged as the new Head Boy Prefect with 82 votes, defeating his opponent, Jamiu Sulaimon, who polled 23 votes. Salawu Abraham was elected Assistant Head Boy with 81 votes, ahead of Julius Samuel, who secured 25 votes. In the gi...
Read more

#OspolyDecides2026: “No Student Will Feel Left Behind” — Value Unveils ‘Inclusive Parliament’ as SUG Senate President

-
Image
  By Victor Olubiye  Oludayo Oluwapelumi Ayobamidele, popularly known as Value, the newly elected Senate President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, has said he will establish what he describes as an “Inclusive Parliament”, with a focus on ensuring that every student feels represented. Value, an HND 1 Civil Engineering student, stated this in an exclusive post-election interview with The Creativity Site following the conclusion of the 2026 OSPOLY SUG election. Reflecting on his earlier statement that “representation doesn't end when we win elections; that is when it begins,” the newly elected Senate President said his responsibility now was to move from campaign commitments to practical representation. “In practical terms, it means the real representation starts now. It is time to bring the real student Parliament to work and I named it INCLUSIVE PARLIAMENT where no student will feel left behind,” he said. Value said he intends to address...
Read more

NYSC CORPS' ABDUCTION: Should NYSC Still Be Sending Corps Members Far From Home?

-
Image
  By Victor Olubiye  A young Nigerian graduate leaves home with a NYSC call-up letter, a few clothes packed in a bag and the excitement of beginning another stage of life. For many parents, it is supposed to be a moment of pride. Their child is leaving home to serve the country. But what happens when the journey to the orientation camp becomes a security concern? That is the question the recent abduction of prospective corps members in Imo State raises. Reports said prospective corps members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, towards orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom were attacked along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State. According to the Imo State Police Command, security operatives later located the suspected camp where some of the victims were being held after using drones and trailing the abductors. However, the police said they were cautious about moving into the area because intelligence indicated that the camp might have been planted with imp...
Read more

OPINION: If Eight Hospitals Could Not Save ToluwaniSings, What Hope Is Left For The Poor?

-
Image
By Victor Olubiye The death of gospel singer Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, popularly known as ToluwaniSings, should prompt Nigeria to ask difficult questions about emergency healthcare and the responsibilities of government. According to his personal assistant, Babadunni Gbolabo, efforts to obtain medical attention for the singer after he slumped took them to between seven and eight hospitals in Ibadan, Oyo State. Speaking to BBC Yoruba, the aide said some facilities reportedly cited doctors' unavailability or an ongoing strike, while the attempts to secure treatment were unsuccessful. ToluwaniSings died on October 14, 2026. His family's loss is painful in its own right. But the circumstances described by his aide have also raised a public-interest question: how should Nigeria's healthcare system respond when someone needs emergency medical attention? The allegations must be investigated before any hospital is declared responsible for the singer's death. The University Colle...
Read more

COMMENTARY: THE BURNING BRIDGE: From Promise to Peril

-
Image
  By Samuel Ashiwel The tragedy of a nation is not when it fails to cross to the other side. It is when it deliberately sets fire to the bridge while still standing on it. Every functional polity is built on a bridge. One side of the river holds raw potential; population, resources, diversity. The other side holds the promise; stability, prosperity, and justice. The bridge itself is made of invisible materials: trust in institutions, respect for rules, commitment to merit, and the willingness to produce rather than merely share. In the early years of our political journey, that bridge existed. There was competition among the constituent parts. One region built monumental estates from agricultural proceeds. Another built the largest markets in West Africa from trade and commerce. A third built enduring educational institutions from its own internally generated revenue. The centre was weak, the federating units were strong, and development was a race. Then, gradually and consciously,...
Read more

FROM PARTIES TO PERSONALITY CULT: How Nigeria's One-Man Empire Buried Opposition

-
Image
By Samuel Ashiwel In 1999, Nigeria returned to democracy with a loud promise. Different parties, different ideas, different choices for the people. Twenty seven years later, that promise has been strangled. Governors defect like prisoners seeking parole, commissioners sing praises to survive, ministers vanish into silence, and the entire country is being forced to bow to one man. This is no longer a party system. It is a personality cult, and it is killing Nigerian democracy. For months, Nigerians have watched a political drama that feels less like democracy and more like a surrender ceremony. In April 2025, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori did what many thought impossible. He led the entire PDP structure that had ruled Delta since 1999, including former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the party that was once the face of the South South, into the APC in one afternoon. It was not a defection. It was a wholesale auction of a state. What followed was a dam break. In June 2025, Governor Umo...
Read more

JUST IN: OSPOLY Announces NYSC Mobilisation for HND Graduates with Part-Time ND

-
Image
  By Victor Olubiye  Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, has announced the mobilisation of HND graduates who are yet to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) because they obtained their National Diploma (ND) through the Part-Time Programme. The institution said the NYSC had given a directive for the registration and mobilisation of the affected graduates for national service. According to a notice signed by the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr Tope Abiola, the affected HND graduates are expected to visit the Directorate of Student Affairs with their genuine particulars between Monday, September 28, and Monday, October 5, 2026. The notice specifically covers graduates of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, who completed their HND programme in the institution but have not been mobilised for NYSC due to having undertaken their ND through the Part-Time Programme. The candidates are required to provide their full name, HND matriculation number, department, year of graduation and gr...
Read more

Teacher's Day: A Poetic Tribute to Teachers and the Heroes of Education

-
Image
  By Victor Olubiye There are people who build houses, people who build roads, people who build businesses, and people who build nations. But behind many of these builders stands someone who first taught them how to read, how to think, how to dream, and how to believe that something greater was possible. That person is a teacher. Today, October 5, 2026, as the world celebrates Teachers' Day, we pause to honour the men and women who enter classrooms each day to shape minds, build character and prepare young people for life. To the teacher who arrives early, stays after the bell, explains the same lesson repeatedly, marks scripts long after school hours and tells a struggling child, “Try again,” we see you. You do more than teach Mathematics, English, Science, History or any other subject. You teach courage. You teach discipline. You teach patience. You teach responsibility. You teach children how to rise after failure and believe in themselves again. A lesson may last forty minutes,...
Read more