By Julian Osamoto
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) is monitoring 53 contacts linked to the country’s confirmed Ebola case, while a suspected case in Rivers State has tested negative.
The agency’s latest situation report, dated 24 October, says the patient, who is being treated in isolation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has improved remarkably.
NCDC Director-General Jide Idris disclosed on Sunday that 53 primary contacts had been identified, including 44 people linked to the health facility where the patient was treated and nine additional contacts.
The additional contacts include members of the patient’s household, her driver, chef and husband, as well as people who attended to her at another clinic and health workers involved in collecting samples.
The agency said contact tracing and monitoring were continuing, with the identified individuals categorised according to their level of exposure.
It also confirms that a suspected Ebola case reported in Rivers State on 23 October tested negative following laboratory investigations.
According to the situation report, no contacts had tested positive or developed symptoms at the time of reporting. No death had also been recorded among confirmed cases.
The confirmed case involves a 42-year-old woman who travelled from Uganda through Addis Ababa and arrived in Abuja on 3 October. She developed symptoms four days later, sought treatment at two private health facilities and was confirmed to have Ebola on 20 October.
NCDC said the national incident management system had been activated, while authorities were strengthening surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and preparedness at designated treatment facilities.
The agency is also urging public and private healthcare facilities to strengthen screening, promptly isolate suspected cases and observe infection prevention measures.
Contact tracing is expected to continue for 21 days after the last possible exposure. The NCDC has called on anyone contacted by public health officials to cooperate with monitoring teams and report any symptoms or possible exposure.
The agency advised Nigerians to rely on verified information and avoid spreading rumours about the outbreak.
