Ebola: Nigerian lawmakers demand release of outstanding funds for health agencies to strengthen response

The House of Representatives has urged the executive to urgently release all outstanding funds appropriated for health agencies to strengthen Nigeria’s response to Ebola following the confirmation of a case in Abuja.

The resolution comes a day after the government confirmed that a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria from Uganda had tested positive for Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory.

The patient is currently receiving treatment in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja. At the same time, health authorities have identified 44 close contacts, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts, for monitoring as part of the contact-tracing exercise. 

The House therefore called for the immediate mobilisation of federal and state health agencies, private healthcare providers, and other relevant institutions to step up surveillance and prevent further transmission of the disease.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance on Wednesday titled, ‘Urgent need to strengthen preventive and emergency medical measures against the spread of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria,’ and sponsored by Amobi Ogah (LP, Abia).

Leading the debate on Wednesday, Mr Ogah described Ebola as a severe and potentially fatal viral disease that requires early detection, isolation of infected people, effective infection prevention and control measures, contact tracing and coordinated public health intervention.

He said confirming the Abuja case required an immediate, coordinated response to prevent the infection from spreading.

He said delays in identifying suspected cases, conducting laboratory investigations, isolating confirmed cases, tracing contacts, and providing medical care could increase transmission risk and put additional pressure on the healthcare system.

“Any delay in identifying suspected cases, conducting appropriate laboratory investigations, isolating confirmed cases, tracing contacts, or providing timely medical care could increase the risk of transmission and place additional pressure on the country’s healthcare system,” he said.

Mr Ogah noted that public health authorities had already begun tracing the 44 contacts linked to the confirmed case. Still, he stressed that surveillance and contact tracing must be sustained to ensure that other potentially exposed people are identified and monitored.

He also raised concerns about inadequate public awareness, shortages of infection prevention and control supplies, gaps in healthcare workers’ preparedness and limited emergency response capacity.

The lawmaker asked the House to express concern that “inadequate public awareness, insufficient infection prevention and control supplies, gaps in healthcare workers’ preparedness, and limited emergency response capacity could undermine efforts to prevent and contain the Ebola outbreak.”

In adopting the motion, the House urged the federal government, through the Ministry of Finance, to immediately release outstanding appropriated funds to the relevant health agencies to strengthen their preparedness and response measures.

It also asked the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the additional resources needed to respond effectively, taking into account current epidemiological evidence and public health guidance.

The lower chamber further called for the involvement of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, state ministries of health, port health authorities, and other relevant agencies to strengthen surveillance and epidemic preparedness.

It urged the government to work closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other regional and international public health institutions to ensure Nigeria’s response is based on current scientific evidence and international health regulations.

The House consequently mandated its Committee on Infectious Diseases to engage relevant ministries, departments, agencies and public health institutions to obtain updates on the Ebola situation and the country’s preparedness and response measures.

The committee is expected to report its findings to the House for further legislative action.

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What Ebola is

Ebola is a rare but severe illness caused by viruses in the orthopoxvirus group. It is mainly transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person or someone who has died from the disease, as well as contaminated materials. 

The disease can cause symptoms including fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, and in some cases internal or external bleeding. The incubation period is generally 2 to 21 days. 

Previous outbreak of the disease in Nigeria

Nigeria has previous experience of containing Ebola. The country recorded an outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller from Liberia arrived in Lagos. Nigeria was declared free of Ebola transmission on 20 October 2014 after 42 days without a new case.

WHO records show the 2014 outbreak recorded 19 confirmed cases and one probable case, with eight deaths. The response involved rapid case detection, isolation and extensive contact tracing. 

The latest case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and recent cases linked to the wider regional spread of the disease. Nigeria had already increased surveillance following developments in the region, including the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.