In October 2014, Nigeria was officially declared free of the Ebola virus. A potential unmitigated disaster was averted by a winning combination of rigorous quarantine enforcement, meticulous disinfecting and generous government funding. The containment of such a dangerously virulent virus by Nigeria should stand as an example to the rest of the African continent and indeed the world.
The outbreak of Ebola in Nigeria began in July, when a Liberian man flew into Lagos Airport against medical advice. The man, named Patrick Sawyer, had just returned from attending the funeral of his sister, who had died from the disease. Sawyer had already been violently ill at his departure airport and once again during the flight. Once in Lagos, he was escorted to a private hospital but it took three days before the cause of his illness was officially diagnosed as Ebola. During this time, nine medical staff who had been treating Sawyer became infected with the virus. Of those nine, four eventually died. Sawyer himself died two days after Ebola was diagnosed.
A Swift Response
In a city as densely populated as Lagos, home to over twenty-one million people, an Ebola outbreak is the stuff of nightmares. The world could have witnessed a human disaster of cataclysmic proportions. However, a swift public health campaign averted what could have been a terrible event.
To begin with, health officials diligently tracked down every person who had been in contact with Patrick Sawyer and who therefore may have contracted the disease themselves. In such a heavily-populated city as Lagos, where many buildings are densely crowded and do not even have numbers on the outside, this was certainly no easy task. However, containment is absolutely crucial in tackling every outbreak of Ebola, so no effort was spared by officials in tracking down contacts of not only Sawyer, but also those of the medical team who subsequently became victims of the virus.
The detective work involved in tracking down all potential contacts of Ebola carriers is absolutely immense. It is estimated that the number of contacts in the Nigerian outbreak numbered almost 900. This total was not just confined to Lagos either, with some people tracked down to locations such as Port Harcourt and Enugu. The dedicated tracing team checked the health of over 18,000 people, with raised temperature being one of the main indicators of possible infection. Many people tried to flee the tracing team but they were all diligently tracked down and their premises thoroughly disinfected.
An Efficient Public Health Campaign
The thoroughly efficient public health campaign was run from a central emergency operations unit. Many of the staff at the centre had spent time working on the effort to eradicate polio, so were highly experienced in this type of public health campaign. In an innovative move, existing GPS systems used in the fight against polio were utilised to track down contacts who were possibly infected with Ebola. The emergency centre also worked closely with the teaching hospital at Lagos University, which boasts a world-class virology lab. This ensured that results from various tests and diagnoses could be turned around at a rapid rate, usually within twenty-four hours.
In addition to the health experts at the central emergency centre and within the dedicated tracking teams, many other people went to great effort to help contain the deadly Ebola virus. The Nigerian government were very generous with the funding of the operation, while stars of the huge Nigerian Nollywood film industry appeared on numerous television broadcasts and on social media to keep people informed and reassured.
A Fine Example
In a country like Nigeria, where cities such as Lagos are so densely populated, an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has the potential to cause an unimaginable death toll. In total, the 2014 Nigerian outbreak resulted in the deaths of just seven people, with a further twelve becoming ill. This relatively small number is a testament to the super-efficient manner in which the public health campaign was run and the huge effort and dedication demonstrated by everybody involved. The way in which Nigeria handled such a potential disaster will hopefully inspire other countries across Africa and the rest of the world to do the same should the unfortunate need arise.
