The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official X handle of Mr Pate | via https://x.com/muhammadpate/status/1812790729107816486/photo/1] The Nigerian government has said there is currently no need to restrict large gatherings following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said this on Thursday during a ministerial press briefing in Abuja, adding that any decision to introduce restrictions would be based on public health evidence and expert advice. “At this moment there is no indication that requires us to alter the course of large gatherings that have been planned,” Mr Pate said.
“But if the situation changes, we would decide; we would consult broadly with the right experts and make that determination.” He urged Nigerians to remain calm, saying the government’s response would be guided by evidence rather than political considerations. “So Nigerians should be assured that whatever the public health community will come out with will be based on good evidence. At this moment we have not indicated that,” he said.
Mr Pate also said the woman at the centre of Nigeria’s first confirmed case is recovering and that laboratory results were showing improvement. He said he had spoken with the clinicians treating her and there is a possibility that she would recover from the disease. “We cannot hold our breath. We have to continue to pray and work hard to ensure that she survives it,” he said.
The minister reiterated that the case was imported based on the patient’s travel history and that she was asymptomatic when she arrived in Nigeria.