According to eTNW, Nigerian authorities are scrambling to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola outbreak.
The country is on high alert after a Liberian man died from the virus shortly after arriving at a Lagos airport last week.
The BBC reports that all entry points into the country are on red alert and health specialists have been deployed to catch potential victims early. Surveillance has also been stepped up at all airports, seaports and borders. Disease isolation centres are in the process of being established at international airports across the country.
Nigerian’s Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, has confirmed that all passengers on the infected passenger’s flight are being traced and monitored for signs of the virus.
Arik Air announced that it would be suspending operations into Monrovia (Liberia) and Freetown (Sierra Leone) until further notice.
Other airlines flying into the country have yet to issue advisories for travellers bound for Nigeria. “We have not received any notification from a competent authority in South Africa advising the airline to initiate any travel-related health activations,” said Tlali Tlali, spokesperson for South African Airways. “On matters of this nature, a travel advisory can be issued to customers only if the South African Port Health department has made a decision. We are in regular contact and constant communication with the Port Health Department and no alert or notification has been received.”