The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Health and Human Services Secretariat, has confirmed that no case of Ebola has been diagnosed in the FCT.
In a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Badru Yakassai, said there is no Ebola case in the FCT.
The statement said: “However, with the recent publication in one of the print media reporting that a case of Ebola was diagnosed in the FCT, the office of the Honourable Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS), Dr. Demola Onakomaiya, whose responsibility is to ensure the health and well-being of all FCT residents wishes to let the public know that the suspected case that was referred to Irrua Specialist Hospital was tested for Lassa Fever (which has similar clinical presentations as Ebola) and the test result was negative.
It added: “The FCT Department of Public Health under the Health and Human Services Secretariat, whose mandate is to investigate and report outcome of all suspected outbreaks is in contact with Irrua Specialist Hospital and the Centre confirmed that no Ebola has been confirmed in this case. However, samples have been taken to a more specialised Centre with facility to do further investigations on the sample.”
The secretary said the FCT Administration was concerned about the well-being of its residents and as part of the ongoing efforts, the Department of Public Health, Health and Human Services Secretariat “is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health to obtain more information from the family members of the suspected case and the various healthcare facilities where the suspected case was managed.”
According to the statement, Ebola haemorrhagic fever is one of the viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs), and it is caused by an Ebola virus which can lead to severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks in humans with a case fatality rate of up to 90 per cent.
The causative agent (Ebola virus) is transmitted to people from wild animals such as bats, baboons, monkeys, gorilla, etc.
Ebola is transmitted into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected persons.
It advised the general public to report any suspected case of Ebola to the nearest health facility or Public Health Department, Health and Human Services Secretariat.
