Cabo Verde plans to resume the use of a platform that was employed during the COVID-19 pandemic to control entries into the country's airports. This decision was made after receiving notification of the first Ebola case in Nigeria, according to the national director of health.
Ana Paula Santos, the head, stated in an interview with Radio Cabo Verde (RCV) that they intend to activate the existing platform, including the use of an 'entry questionnaire'. Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) classifying the archipelago as a 'low risk of infection' zone, specialists will be prepared for preventive measures.
The director emphasized the need to strengthen surveillance, equipment, and risk communication preparedness, as well as increase laboratory capacities. The reference laboratory used will be the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, with which Cabo Verde collaborates. Furthermore, training sessions will be organized for all medical structures to ensure early detection of symptoms.
Nigerian authorities reported the first case of infection on Tuesday—it was a diplomat who arrived in Abuja from Uganda. Following this, 44 contacts were identified. This country is the fourth most populous in Africa to face the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus this year, which has been present in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for five months.
According to the latest report from the National Institute of Public Health, the disease has affected 9,704 people in the DRC, resulting in at least 4,687 deaths. The viral hemorrhagic fever has high lethality and is spreading across several countries on the continent, including Uganda, which borders the DRC and previously reported 20 cases and two deaths before declaring the end of transmission in late August. Kenya recently registered its ninth case.
Jean Kaseya, a representative of the African Union's health agency (Africa CDC), warned of an 'extremely serious threat' on Tuesday and called for international mobilization.