The House of Representatives on Wednesday called for increased public awareness and early preparations for isolation camps following the confirmation of an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

During Wednesday’s session, lawmakers also urged Nigerians to remain alert and called on the Federal Government to draw on the blueprint used to contain the Ebola virus in 2014.

The House mandated its Committee on Infectious Diseases to begin work immediately to ensure the prompt implementation of its resolutions.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said the imported case of Ebola virus disease had been confirmed by laboratory testing.

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Pate said the patient was a woman who had recently travelled to East Africa, particularly Uganda, and returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7. The symptoms reportedly worsened four days later, before tests confirmed the infection.

He said the patient was in isolation and receiving medical care, while contact tracing had commenced. Forty-four contacts had already been identified, and surveillance was being strengthened at the country’s points of entry.

“The patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was admitted to a private hospital… where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed,” a government statement said. “She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.”

Pate explained that the Ministry of Health, the FCT Health Secretariat, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and other partners were working together to contain the infection and prevent further transmission.

He urged public and private health facilities to remain on high alert, stressing that healthcare workers must maintain a high index of suspicion for possible cases.

The minister also called on Nigerians to remain calm and vigilant.

He advised the public to practise good hygiene, watch out for symptoms such as fever, weakness, headache, and diarrhoea, and cooperate with public health officials.

Pate maintained that the situation was being managed, adding that the government would provide timely and transparent updates as efforts to contain the virus continued.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or through contact with contaminated materials. Symptoms can include fever, headache, severe weakness, vomiting, and diarrhoea.