Update: Nigeria Begins Screening of Passengers At Airports As China’s HMPV Spreads To Several Countries

The Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) recently discovered in China and now spreading to other countries, the Nigerian government has strengthened surveillance at major international airports.

The virus has spread to countries such as India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Kazakhstan.

This move is a preventive one against the outbreak of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) recently discovered in China.

Over 5000 people were recently reported hospitalised in the United Kingdom as a result of the virus.

Although the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is yet to issue a circular on it especially to airlines on the need to put in place necessary checks on the passengers.

According to Daily Trust, the Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, had directed port health officers to begin to check arriving passengers for any symptom of the virus.

During the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, Nigeria recorded its first confirmed case which was a 44-year-old Italian Citizen who had arrived in MMIA at about 10 pm on February 24, 2020, via a Turkish airline from Milan Italy.

Screenings have commenced at places like the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja

Quoting a source at the MMIA, it was reported that, “There is no cause for alarm as the Port Health Service has been mandated to start screening the passengers and we are not taking anything to chance. The Port Health Officers are conducting the right check on passengers of foreign airlines as they arrive into the country.”

The NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, is also yet to comment on the development as of press time.

There has been a global concern over the spread of the new virus.

The first case of HMPV was reported over the weekend and it is said to be rising.

While commenting on the development, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), in its advisory issued yesterday, and signed by its Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said it was closely monitoring global developments in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

It is said: “We aim to provide timely, accurate information and guidance to keep the Nigerian public informed and prepared.”

The agency said that the rumor circulating about the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring HMPV a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is false and should be disregarded.

Recent reports indicate a significant rise in Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases in China, as well as increased respiratory infections linked to HMPV in countries such as the United Kingdom (UK), France, and Germany, particularly during the winter season.