By Babs Oyetoro
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has expanded surveillance around Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case to 53 primary contacts, as health authorities intensify efforts to prevent further transmission.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday at a press briefing in Abuja, saying the contacts had been identified, categorised according to their level of exposure and placed under follow-up for 21 days after their last possible exposure.
The latest figure represents an increase from the 44 contacts initially identified following confirmation of the case in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20.
Idris said 44 of the 53 contacts were linked to the health facility where the patient was treated, while the others included household members and people who attended to her during an earlier emergency-room visit.
The agency is also identifying secondary contacts who may have been exposed through people already under monitoring.
“For each person, we are going to ask questions. We have to establish who they have been in contact with. If we can identify those people, they will also be monitored,” Idris said.
The confirmed case involves a 42-year-old woman who returned to Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3.
She developed symptoms on October 7, presented at a private health facility on October 10 and was admitted at another facility the following day.
The NCDC was notified on October 19, while laboratory testing confirmed the infection on October 20.
Her symptoms included fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and sore throat, while no bleeding was reported.
The infection was identified as Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
The patient was reported to have improved while receiving treatment in isolation.
*Isolated persons to receive ₦100,000 weekly support
Meanwhile, the NCDC has approved an emergency payment of ₦100,000 per person weekly for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine, following concerns over feeding, accommodation and the financial burden on their families.
Idris said the intervention was introduced to ease the difficulties faced by contacts undergoing mandatory monitoring and encourage their continued cooperation with health authorities.
“We are providing N100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding,” he said.
He described the payment as an emergency measure that was not part of the agency’s original response plan but had become necessary under the circumstances.
The NCDC chief also stressed that states must make adequate financial and logistical preparations to respond to outbreaks, warning that emergency response should not be left to the FCT alone.
*Hospitals ordered to separate suspected cases immediately
Idris directed public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to strengthen screening and triage systems and immediately separate suspected Ebola cases from other patients.
He warned healthcare workers against waiting for laboratory confirmation before implementing protective measures, stressing that early action was essential to preventing exposure within health facilities.
“Healthcare workers should not wait for laboratory confirmation before taking appropriate precautions,” he said.
The NCDC also directed facilities to promptly notify public health authorities and maintain strict infection prevention and control measures, including hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, safe handling of sharps, proper waste management and appropriate use of personal protective equipment.
Meanwhile, a suspected Ebola case reported by Rivers State on October 23 tested negative, according to the NCDC’s situation report.
The agency said surveillance and investigation of suspected cases would continue, while urging Nigerians to cooperate with contact-tracing teams and provide accurate information about their movements, contacts and symptoms.
Idris also appealed to the public to avoid misinformation and stigma, stressing that being identified as a contact did not mean an individual had contracted Ebola.
“Being identified as a contact does not mean that you have Ebola,” he said.
The NCDC said its response would continue through surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory investigation, infection prevention and control, risk communication and preparedness measures across health facilities.
