Health
FCTA targets 1.5 million children for MNCH Week vaccination drive
The Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Board (FPHCB) says all arrangements have been concluded to vaccinate more than 1.5 million children during the 2026 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW).
The Mandate Secretary, FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Adedolapo Fasawe, said this during a media orientation ahead of the exercise scheduled to hold from 3 June to 7 June.
Represented by Okoli Nicholas, acting director of Primary Health Care at FPHCB, Ms Fasawe described MNCHW as a biannual high-impact programme designed to deliver essential healthcare services to families.
She explained that the exercise would intensify routine immunisation services, provide Vitamin A supplementation for children aged six to 59 months and strengthen child survival interventions.
According to her, children aged 12 to 59 months would receive deworming medication, while health workers would also screen for malnutrition and provide feeding and hygiene counselling.
Ms Fasawe added that pregnant women would receive antenatal and postnatal care services to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes across communities in the FCT.
“We will focus on iron-folate supplementation, malaria prevention in pregnancy where indicated, breastfeeding and newborn care counselling, and we offer family planning information and services.”
She emphasised that the media had a critical role in ensuring that families received accurate information about the programme and understood where and when services were available.
“The media’s role in this effort is pivotal. You help families know when and where to go. You build trust by sharing clear, verified information.
“You counter rumours with facts, and you shine a light on the dedication of our frontline health workers while holding us accountable,” she said.
Ms Fasawe emphasised that all services offered during the exercise would be provided free of charge to beneficiaries across the FCT and surrounding communities.
She said the programme would be implemented in all Primary Health Care Centres across the six area councils, designated outreach points and hard-to-reach settlements through mobile teams.
“Parents should bring their child’s health card; if they don’t have one, it will be provided on site. Zero-dose and defaulting children are welcome; no child will be turned away.”
She appealed to media practitioners to help disseminate the campaign messages through community radio stations, newspapers, social media platforms and programmes targeting underserved populations.
“Our appeal to you is to take these messages beyond city centres, into community radio, into neighbourhood papers, and social media groups.
READ ALSO: FG steps up Ebola preparedness, tightens border surveillance amid regional outbreak concerns
“And through programmes that reach informal settlements, rural communities and nomadic populations,” Ms Fasawe said.
In her remarks, Chinyere Ekwueme, state nutrition officer, FCT, said mobile medical teams would also visit schools, churches and mosques to ensure that eligible children received vaccinations.
She said the outreach strategy was designed to improve coverage and to reach children whose families might face challenges in accessing fixed health facilities during the exercise.
Also speaking, Umeh Chinyere, state health education officer, FPHCB, appealed to journalists to support efforts to strengthen public confidence in the board’s healthcare programmes.
She said accurate and balanced reporting would encourage greater participation in the exercise and help address misconceptions that often discouraged parents from accessing immunisation services. (NAN)
Nigeria is reviewing its Ebola preparedness after Kenya confirmed an imported case of the Bundibugyo virus, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said.
The NCDC said the case highlights the risk of “international importation” of the virus through travel and population movement, “including the possibility of the virus being imported into Nigeria.”
The agency announced this Tuesday night in a statement signed by its Director-General, Jide Idris. It noted that “as of 6 October, there is no confirmed case of Ebola disease in Nigeria.”
The case makes Kenya the fourth country to report a case linked to the current Bundibugyo virus outbreak, following the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and France.
Kenya confirms first case
PREMIUM TIMES reported on Tuesday that Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, the patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC, where the virus outbreak is ongoing.
The patient travelled by road from the DRC to Kampala, Uganda, before flying to Nairobi, where they were isolated after developing symptoms. Samples tested positive for Bundibugyo virus at Kenya’s National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute.
Despite receiving supportive care, the patient died on the night of 5 October and was buried on Tuesday under Kenya’s safe and dignified burial protocol, according to WHO.
Nigeria reviews preparedness
The NCDC said the development in Kenya has added a new regional dimension to the outbreak and underscores the possibility of international importation through travel and population movement.
It noted that since the outbreak was first reported in the DRC, NCDC, working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Port Health Services, State governments, and other stakeholders, including partners, has taken steps to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness for Ebola.
“These efforts have focused on early detection, isolation and referral, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, risk communication and protection of healthcare workers,” it said.
The NCDC said Nigeria has conducted a national Ebola preparedness tabletop simulation exercise to assess the country’s readiness to respond to a possible case.
It added that it would continue to monitor developments in Kenya, the DRC and other affected countries and adjust preparedness measures as necessary.
DRC remains worst affected
The current outbreak was first reported in the DRC and has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus.
As of 23 September, WHO said the DRC had reported 7,890 confirmed cases, including 3,799 deaths, giving a crude case fatality ratio of 48.1 per cent.
The outbreak has affected 63 health zones across seven provinces, with WHO warning of increased cross-border risks.
Uganda’s latest Ebola outbreak ended in August, while France reported a travel-related case in June.
READ ALSO: Kenya confirms first imported Ebola case linked to DRC outbreak
NCDC advises travellers, health workers
The NCDC advised people travelling from affected areas to monitor their health for 21 days after leaving the affected area.
“If symptoms develop, avoid unnecessary contact with others and immediately contact the appropriate public health authorities or seek care at a recognised health facility, clearly disclosing travel and possible exposure history,” it noted.
The agency also advised Nigerians to practise hand hygiene and avoid contact with the body fluids of sick or deceased people.
It urged health workers to maintain a high index of suspicion when treating patients with compatible symptoms and a history of travel to or exposure in an affected area within the previous 21 days.
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Kenya has confirmed its first imported case of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, as the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to spread across the region.
According to a statement published Tuesday by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, the patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC and fell ill there.
The patient travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, before flying to Nairobi, where the patient was isolated after developing symptoms. Samples tested positive for Bundibugyo virus at Kenya’s National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute.
Despite supportive care, the patient died on the night of 5 October and was buried on Tuesday in line with Kenya’s Ebola safe and dignified burial protocol, according to WHO.
“The government of Kenya notified WHO of the case in line with the International Health Regulations (2005) on 6 October 2026,” it noted.
Kenya becomes fourth country affected
According to WHO, Kenya is the fourth country to confirm a case of Bundibugyo virus disease in the current outbreak.
The DRC continues to battle the largest outbreak, while Uganda, where the virus was first detected in 2007, ended its latest outbreak in August. France also reported a travel-related case in June.
WHO noted that most of the cases reported in Uganda were imported from the DRC, while a smaller number were locally acquired among contacts and health workers linked to imported cases.
In the DRC, the outbreak has continued to expand. As of 23 September, the country had recorded 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths, giving a case fatality ratio of 48.1 per cent.
The outbreak had affected 63 health zones across seven provinces, with two of the latest affected areas bordering other countries. WHO said the expansion had increased the risk of cross-border transmission.
Kenya traces contacts
Following confirmation of the case, Kenyan health authorities have listed 28 contacts, including family members and health workers who cared for the patient.
They are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same flight as the patient.
WHO said Kenya had been on high alert since May, when Ebola outbreaks were declared in the DRC and Uganda.
As of Tuesday, Kenya had screened more than 652,000 travellers entering the country, tested 267 suspected samples and trained about 5,000 health workers on Ebola prevention and management.
WHO said it has also supplied about 1,000 Ebola tests and 1,000 personal protective equipment kits to high-risk counties in Kenya.
READ ALSO: DRC Ebola outbreak remains active as death toll reaches 3,779 – Africa CDC
Nigeria on high alert
Nigeria has also strengthened surveillance in response to the regional outbreak.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said in a public health advisory issued in September that the country was on high alert and had activated enhanced surveillance measures.
It introduced a health declaration system under which travellers from countries with active or relevant Ebola transmission may be required to complete a form before boarding.
The form requires travellers to provide information about their recent travel history, transit countries, destination in Nigeria and health status.
The NCDC said the measures are intended to strengthen surveillance and prevent the importation of Ebola into Nigeria.
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