Nigerian health authorities have said that 53 primary contacts have been identified, following the confirmed Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with none of the contacts testing positive so far.
The director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, said 44 of the contacts were linked to the health facility where the first and, so far, the only Ebola patient was treated, while the remaining nine comprised household contacts are people who had attended another clinic visited by the patient and members of the FCT team that collected samples.
He gave the update while briefing journalists on the ongoing national response to the confirmed case, assuring Nigerians that contact tracing, surveillance and other containment measures were being intensified to prevent further transmission.
According to him, one additional suspected case was reported in the FCT and another in Rivers State, but the Rivers State case tested negative.
He said the confirmed case remained the only known case, adding that no contact had tested positive and no symptomatic contact had been reported at the time of the briefing.
Idris explained that contact tracing was an ongoing process requiring detailed interviews to establish the movements and interactions of each identified contact.
He said investigators were also working to identify possible secondary contacts, noting that the number of people under investigation could change as more information became available.
“Contact tracing takes time because we have to interview each person carefully to establish whom they may have been in contact with,” he said.
The NCDC boss added that contacts would be categorised according to their exposure levels and monitored throughout the required follow-up period.
He said people without symptoms could be allowed to quarantine at home, depending on their risk assessment, with their temperatures and health conditions monitored regularly. Anyone who develops symptoms would be promptly assessed and tested.
Idris disclosed that one contact who had reported feeling unwell was tested and returned a negative result.
He said the National Incident Management System had been activated at the highest level to coordinate the response, while public health teams continued to strengthen infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities.
On support for contacts in quarantine, Idris said the agency was providing accommodation and feeding to address their immediate needs, following complaints from some individuals about their inability to attend to their businesses and families.
He described the patient as a 42-year-old woman married to a Swedish national and said preliminary investigations indicated that she had travelled outside Nigeria in September before returning.
However, he cautioned that investigators were still working to establish her precise movements, including whether she had travelled to an area affected by Ebola.
He said genetic sequencing had been conducted to examine the relationship between the virus identified in Nigeria and viruses circulating in other affected areas.
According to him, the NCDC was scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with counterparts in Uganda to share information and discuss the outbreak.
Idris urged Nigerians to avoid speculation and the circulation of unverified information, assuring the public that investigations and response activities would continue as more evidence became available.
