Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, has said there is no licensed specific treatment or vaccine for the Ebola virus variant involved in Nigeria’s current outbreak, adding that the infected patient is receiving supportive medical care.
Pate disclosed this during an interview with Arise Television on Wednesday, explaining that while researchers were exploring potential treatments, the patient’s body was also fighting the infection through its immune response.
“Specific treatment for this variant of Ebola virus, or a specific vaccine, is not yet licensed, approved to be used,” he said, adding that “there are various efforts to try different types of vaccines or molecules to see whether they can bring relief.”
The minister said the infected patient received antibiotics and antiviral medication at different stages of her treatment because doctors initially suspected a viral illness before confirming Ebola.
“But this particular patient received appropriate medical care, supportive medical care. She received antibiotics, she received an antiviral medication at different stages because the consideration was she had a viral illness, which in fact ended to be Ebola,” he said.
Pate said the patient’s immune response might also have contributed to her condition, adding that she was stable at the time of the interview. However, he cautioned that her condition could change as the disease progressed.
“I think we’re very fortunate that she is stable at this moment. We hope she continues to remain stable, because things can change when you have an infectious disease that you don’t fully control the course of illness,” he said.
The minister said Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure, laboratory capacity and trained health professionals had helped identify and manage the case. He added that public health experts and epidemiologists were working to trace people who might have been exposed to the virus.
According to Pate, the country’s public and private health facilities, alongside laboratory services, helped ensure the patient was detected and received care within the healthcare system.
“We’ve got laboratory capacity that has all come together to allow the patient to walk through the Nigerian healthcare system, be detected, and be catered for,” he said.
He added that the public health response had been intensified, with experts working to track contacts, but stressed that Nigerians also had a responsibility to comply with health authorities’ instructions.
“But it goes beyond the public health system; it also requires Nigerians themselves in how we behave, so that those who may have contact with her continue to comply,” Pate said.
The Federal Government confirmed Nigeria’s first reported case in the current outbreak after a woman who had travelled from Uganda developed symptoms and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention activated response measures, including contact tracing, enhanced surveillance and infection prevention efforts, while urging public and private health facilities to remain vigilant and promptly report suspected cases.
The PUNCH reported that 44 contacts had initially been identified for monitoring. Anambra State also followed up 40 persons of interest, with 33 completing their monitoring period and seven remaining under active follow-up as of October 20. Ogun State was tracing 111 persons of interest.
The United States Mission in Nigeria also issued a health advisory to its citizens following the reported case, urging those who might have been exposed to seek medical guidance if symptoms developed.
Ebola spreads mainly through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or through contaminated materials.
Symptoms may include fever, severe headache, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, and can resemble those of other illnesses, including malaria.