Keyamo directs NCAA to place 46 contacts of Ebola patient on no-fly list

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to place 46 contacts of an Ebola patient on a no-fly list for 21 days. Keyamo announced the directive in a post on X on Wednesday, October 21, following a virtual meeting with Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate.

He said Pate supplied the names of 44 people who had contact with the patient at a hospital after symptoms developed, alongside two domestic staff. According to Keyamo, authorities were working to isolate and monitor the contacts while determining whether any had contracted the virus.

He said the NCAA had been instructed to notify domestic and international airlines of the restriction. The directive followed Tuesday’s confirmation of an imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory. The patient, described in the report as a diplomat, had reportedly arrived from Uganda.

Pate had earlier announced that 44 close contacts were being traced to prevent further transmission. Keyamo’s announcement included an additional two domestic staff. The aviation minister also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to strengthen surveillance and response measures at international airports.

He listed enhanced health screening, temperature checks, travel-history tracking and digital health declarations among the measures being implemented. FAAN would also coordinate with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the response. Keyamo said the airport measures followed earlier alerts concerning outbreaks in the region.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with infectious blood or other body fluids and contaminated materials. Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea. Some patients develop bleeding, although this does not occur in every case.