…Says Virus Can Be Transmitted By Infected Person Without Systoms

…Urges Nigerians To Maintain Social Distance 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says Nigeria is at moderate risk of the importation and impact of the Marburg virus ( MVD).

In a statement on Wednesday, the Director General of NCDC , Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, said this is based on the organization’s assessment following the outbreak in Ghana.

The Marburg virus causes a rare, highly infectious disease and severe haemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates just like the Ebola virus.

Dr Adetifa said, “Based on available data, the overall risk of both importation of the disease and its potential impact on the Nigerian population is said to be moderate as assessed by NCDC experts and partners given the following:

“The proximity (same region), high traffic from Ghana and countries that share borders with Ghana, the incubation period of 21 days of the virus, heightened surveillance at point of entry, Nigeria’s capacity to respond to the outbreak in country and the fact that persons with MVD transmit the virus when they become symptomatic unlike for SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 that can also be transmitted by infected persons without symptoms.”

He said there was currently, no case of Marburg virus in Nigeria, adding that several measures are being put in place to prevent an outbreak of the disease in-country.

While saying that NCDC is on high alert, he said Nigeria has the capacity to test for the virus presently at the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital laboratory Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology.

He said diagnostic capacity can be scaled up to other laboratories if required as Nigeria had the resources (human, technical and laboratory) for prompt identification and management in the event of a single imported case.

However, he said the risk of importation may be further reduced as the current situation in Ghana is under control as reported by Ghana Health Service.

According to him, point of entry surveillance has been heightened, trained rapid response teams are on standby to be deployed in the event of an outbreak and the NCDC’s Incident Coordination Centre (ICC) is on alert mode.

He said the NCDC is also amplifying risk communication efforts and continues to work with states and partners to strengthen preparedness activities which include– review of risk communication protocols, plans and messages in the event of an outbreak.

He advised Nigerians to avoid non-essential travel to locations where the outbreak is reported for the moment, and also avoid direct contact with blood, saliva, vomit, urine, and other bodily fluids of people with suspected or confirmed Marburg virus.

The outbreak in Ghana is the second incidence of the virus in West Africa following the previous incidence in Guinea in August 2021.

The disease was first discovered in 1967 following outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia.

Since then, outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in some African countries.

As states struggle to curb the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, Nigeria is now averaging more than 700 new cases, says the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The NCDC, which disclosed this on Thursday morning, added that the country registered 790 additional infections on Wednesday, increasing the 610 cases it registered a day earlier.

Owing to a sudden surge, driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant, the country’s average daily COVID-19 cases showed that Wednesday’s increase was the highest since February.

The surge resulted in the federal government calling on Nigerians to take responsibility and adhere to preventive measures.

The NCDC noted that states were struggling to curb the spread of the Delta variant. Due to the spread, NCDC observed that Lagos set a new record for COVID-19 on Wednesday with 574 cases, and infections in Rivers jumped to 83, Ondo (38), Ogun (31), Oyo (23), Delta (10), the FCT (9), Ekiti (7), Edo (6), Osun (4).

Anambra and Bayelsa recorded two cases each, and Plateau had one, while Kano, Nasarawa, and Sokoto, reported zero cases, NCDC said.

One new death was also recorded on Wednesday, bringing the nation’s fatality count, since the pandemic started, to 2,195.

The NCDC added that 74 people recovered and were discharged from various isolation centres on Wednesday, with total recoveries nationwide since the onset of the pandemic clocking 166,203.

It also disclosed that the country’s active cases had soared to 11,500

Representative of the World Health Organisation in Nigeria (WHO) Walter Kazadi has said that the threat of a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was real and imminent in most African countries including Nigeria.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Kazadi stated that adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures such as social distancing, regular washing of hands and coughing into bent elbows should be intensified.

He stressed the need for rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and adherence to the Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions, recommended by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Also speaking at the press briefing, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Faisal Shuaib said Nigeria is set to receive 3.92 million additional doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX.

“We now have information that Nigeria will get 3.92 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca by the end of July or early August, 2021.

“As we receive additional information on the exact dates, we will provide an update regarding timelines and details,” Shuaib said.

Shuaib also urged Nigerians who had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to get the second dose on or before the close of its administration by June 25.

“Recall that we officially closed the vaccination for the first dose on May 24, 2021. Since then, we have been inundated with requests by Nigerians to be vaccinated. In response, we have decided to reopen vaccination for the first dose from today.

“This means anyone 18 years and above who has not been vaccinated should visit the nearest vaccination site for the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“For such persons, their second dose will be due in 12 weeks and by then we would have received the next consignment of vaccines.”