Nigeria places 46 Ebola contacts on 21-day no-fly list

Nigeria’s aviation authorities have been directed to prevent 46 people who came into contact with the country’s confirmed Ebola patient from travelling by air for at least 21 days as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to contain the infection.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, ordered the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to immediately notify domestic and international airlines of the restriction.

The affected individuals comprise 44 people who had contact with the infected woman at a hospital after she developed symptoms, as well as two members of her domestic staff, according to details disclosed by the minister.

Keyamo announced the directive after a virtual meeting with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, on measures to contain the outbreak.

He said efforts were also underway to isolate the identified contacts while health authorities establish whether any of them had contracted the virus.

The minister also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to strengthen Ebola surveillance and response measures at international airports across the country.

The measures include enhanced health screening, temperature checks, tracking travellers’ histories, digital health declarations and closer coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

The restrictions are intended to prevent the identified contacts from travelling during the 21-day period in which symptoms of Ebola may develop.

Ebola virus disease is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms, as well as contaminated materials.


The Federal Government confirmed Nigeria’s latest Ebola case on October 20 after laboratory tests returned positive for a woman who had recently arrived in the country on an international flight from Uganda.

The patient was admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, where she had received treatment before the infection was confirmed. She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.

Health authorities have commenced contact tracing to identify people who may have been exposed to the virus, including healthcare workers, patients and caregivers.

The NCDC has also urged healthcare facilities across the country to remain vigilant, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, enforce infection prevention measures and report suspected infections to public health authorities.

The 21-day restriction on air travel forms part of the containment measures being implemented by aviation and health authorities following the confirmed case.