The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has placed travellers arriving from countries experiencing Ebola outbreaks under intensified surveillance, directing health workers nationwide to closely monitor individuals who develop symptoms within 21 days of travel.
The agency, in updated surveillance guidelines issued to health facilities and disease surveillance officers, said any person who develops a sudden fever and other symptoms associated with Ebola within 21 days of travelling to affected countries should be treated as a suspected case and immediately investigated.
The directive comes as Nigeria remains on heightened alert over ongoing Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa, particularly countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, where health authorities have continued efforts to contain periodic outbreaks of the deadly viral disease.
According to the NCDC guidelines, any person with a sudden onset of fever and at least three symptoms, including headaches, lethargy, loss of appetite, muscle or joint pain, stomach pain, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea or hiccups, who has travelled to a country reporting suspected or confirmed Ebola cases within the previous 21 days, should be considered a suspected Ebola case.
