The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Friday established that the suspected Ebola case reported in the nation’s capital has tested negative.
FCTA urged the public to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information.
Speaking while briefing journalists, the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Environmental Services, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, explained that the suspected case was identified only as Patient X for confidentiality.
Fasawe said it was immediately reported after showing symptoms of fever and unexplained bleeding upon returning from Rwanda.
According to the FCT Epidemiologist, Dr Lukman Lawal, the case triggered an immediate activation of the Emergency Operations System in line with World Health Organization, WHO, National, and FCT protocols.
Lawal said contact tracing, sample collection, and laboratory testing were conducted without delay and results from the National Reference Laboratory returned negative within six hours.
Fasawe commended the patient for seeking medical attention immediately, the private facility that raised the alert at Nisa Premier Hospital, for maintaining a high index of suspicion, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC), for its swift collaboration with the FCT health authorities.
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She said: “This incident shows that our surveillance system is active and alert. Every fever is not malaria. Every fever is not Ebola. What matters is early reporting and strict adherence to protocol”.
Fasawe said that while Nigeria has no recorded Ebola cases, the vigilance remains high because of outbreaks in neighboring countries.
According to the mandate secretary: “The FCT Administration has already conducted two Ebola-related investigations this year, both of which returned negative”.
Fasawe also warned against misinformation and panic, calling on the media to verify information before publication. She reminded the public that stigmatizing patients only worsens health crises.
She further urged Nigerians to make use of the toll-free line 6232 and other official NCDC platforms for reporting suspected cases of infectious diseases, adding that “the vigilance of one clinician can save a nation.”
“Diseases do not know borders. With air travel, anyone can move from an endemic country to Nigeria within hours. That is why surveillance at our borders and within our communities is critical,” she said.
The suspected patient, the administration said, is currently responding well to treatment for other conditions and is expected to be discharged soon.
She urged journalists to always verify information before passing it to the general public to avoid panic.
On the strike called off by the FCT doctors, Fasawe commended them for calling off the strike and also hailed the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike for approving all their requests.
She pleaded for patience to allow due process while the order is implemented as soon as possible.
