Nigeria has 500 epidemiologists to lead Ebola response, expert says
A senior field epidemiologist, Peter Adewuyi, has urged the Federal Government to allow Nigeria’s trained epidemiologists to lead efforts to contain the confirmed Ebola case, saying about 500 specialists are available to support the response.
Adewuyi, who led contact tracing during Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak, made the call during an interview on ARISE TV Morning Show on Thursday, warning that the time taken to detect the latest infection raised concerns about the country’s disease surveillance system.
His comments came after Nigeria confirmed an imported Ebola case involving a woman in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the patient’s symptoms began on October 7, and she sought treatment at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11. Laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20.
Health authorities have isolated the patient and identified 44 contacts who are being monitored for possible symptoms. Adewuyi said the response was progressing, but noted that the infection took about eight to nine days to detect, exceeding the seven-day target under the “7-1-7” surveillance framework.
“We have about 500 epidemiologists in the country and the government should just allow them to do their work,” he said, adding that Nigeria did not need foreign experts to lead the response.
He cited the African Field Epidemiology Network and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), alongside the country’s Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system, as key resources for deploying specialists, tracking infections and coordinating the response.
Adewuyi stressed that contact tracing must cover everyone who might have been exposed to the patient before her diagnosis, including healthcare workers and other people who entered the facilities where she received treatment. He warned that the number of contacts could increase as investigations progressed.
Nigeria contained its 2014 Ebola outbreak after recording 19 laboratory-confirmed cases, one probable case and eight deaths. The WHO declared the country free of Ebola transmission on October 20, 2014, after 42 days without a new case. The Federal Government has activated its response arrangements following the latest infection, with the WHO and other partners supporting efforts to prevent further transmission.
