Ebola: NCDC warns misinformation could undermine Nigeria’s response

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned that misinformation could undermine Nigeria’s efforts to contain Ebola, saying false claims could create fear, discourage people from reporting symptoms and weaken public cooperation.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, gave the warning during a briefing in Abuja on Sunday, where he updated the country on its response to the confirmed Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mr Idris urged Nigerians to rely on verified information from the NCDC, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and other authorised public health agencies, rather than circulate unverified claims.

He said the agency was strengthening community engagement, risk communication and efforts to manage rumours and misinformation, adding that regular updates would be provided as verified information became available.

“False information can create fear, discourage people from reporting symptoms and undermine the cooperation essential to stopping transmission,” he said.

He also urged Nigerians contacted by public health officials to cooperate with contact-tracing teams and provide accurate information about their movements, contacts and any symptoms they might have experienced.

The warning comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to prevent further transmission following confirmation of its first Ebola case in more than a decade on 20 October.

As PREMIUM TIMES reported on Sunday, the NCDC has identified 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed case. They include healthcare workers, the patient’s domestic staff and spouse, and health personnel who collected samples from the patient.

Mr Idris said public health teams had listed and categorised the contacts by their level of exposure and were monitoring them.

As at Sunday’s briefing, none of the identified contacts had tested positive for Ebola or developed symptoms, he said.

The agency is monitoring contacts for 21 days after their last possible exposure, while strengthening surveillance, laboratory capacity and infection prevention measures.

Mr Idris also called on public and private healthcare facilities to strengthen screening, triage and infection prevention and control, and ensure healthcare workers have adequate personal protective equipment.

He said suspected cases should be promptly separated from other patients and reported to public health authorities, without waiting for laboratory confirmation before taking appropriate precautions.

Mr Idris said Nigeria was drawing on lessons from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which the country successfully contained through early detection, contact tracing, coordination and public cooperation.

He said the response required the involvement of individuals, families, communities, healthcare institutions and other partners, stressing that government action alone would not be sufficient.

Mr Idris urged Nigerians to avoid stigmatising patients, contacts, healthcare workers and affected communities, and to follow guidance from authorised public health agencies.

The outbreak comes amid the spread of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease across parts of Africa.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the DRC had recorded 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths across eight provinces as of 20 October.

Kenya had reported nine cases, including one death, while Uganda was previously affected by the outbreak but has since been declared Ebola-free.

Nigeria confirmed an imported case on 20 October in a patient who had travelled from Uganda.

The Bundibugyo virus differs from the Zaire species responsible for the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, and no vaccine is currently approved specifically for the Bundibugyo strain.

Health authorities say early detection, isolation, contact tracing and infection prevention remain critical to preventing further transmission.