The United Nations has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to contain its newly confirmed Ebola case, pledging support to prevent further spread of the deadly disease.
The UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, told the News Agency of Nigeria in an interview on Wednesday that the UN was concerned about the detection of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus in Nigeria, the fifth country to report a case during the current outbreak.
Dujarric, however, expressed confidence in Nigeria’s health authorities, commending their swift response and extensive contact-tracing efforts following the confirmation.
“We have full confidence in the ability and the capacity of the Nigerian Government’s health authorities to deal with this single case,” he said.
The spokesperson acknowledged that the appearance of the virus in another country raised concerns about its potential spread beyond countries already affected.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s of course concerning that there is a case in a new country,” Dujarric said.
He, however, noted that Nigerian authorities have already undertaken active contact tracing to identify and monitor people potentially exposed to the infected patient.
On whether the UN was worried that the outbreak could spread to additional countries or persist for another year, Dujarric emphasised international cooperation.
He urged countries to comply with international health regulations and collaborate closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to contain the outbreak.
“It is also incumbent that countries work together, follow international health regulations, work with the WHO,” he said.
The spokesperson stressed that the WHO was established to support countries in confronting precisely such international public health emergencies.
“This is why the WHO was created, to help to deal with these issues, and I know they’re very much on top of it,” he added.
Responding to the question about assistance being provided to Nigeria, Dujarric reaffirmed the UN’s readiness to support the Nigerian Government.
“We are, as always, ready to assist the Government of Nigeria in any way possible,” he declared.
He also expressed confidence that the WHO officials in Nigeria were maintaining direct contact with national health authorities to coordinate appropriate responses.
The UN assurance followed Nigeria’s confirmation on Tuesday of an imported Ebola Bundibugyo case involving a woman with a recent travel history to Uganda.
According to the WHO, the patient developed symptoms on Oct. 7, sought medical attention in Abuja on Oct. 11 and tested positive for the virus on Oct. 20.
The UN health agency said that the patient was receiving treatment in isolation, while Nigerian authorities had identified 44 contacts for monitoring and further investigation.
The case comes amid an outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May and subsequently spread internationally, raising concerns about cross-border transmission.
GIK/APA