The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported two suspected Ebola cases in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Rivers State with the Rivers case testing negative while 53 primary contacts of the country’s only confirmed case are being monitored.
The two cases are the initial confirmed case in Abuja and a new one in Port Harcourt which tested negative.
The Commission is also considering N100000 financial assistance for the 53 contacts to ease the burden of isolation on their businesses and families following complaints that the restrictions strained their livelihoods and family responsibilities.
NCDC Director-General Dr Jide Idris disclosed this while briefing journalists on the Federal Government’s response to the outbreak saying investigations were ongoing to establish the source of infection and the patient’s travel history.
The 53 primary contacts comprise 44 people at a health facility and nine others identified during further investigations.
The additional contacts include three household members three healthcare workers at a university teaching hospital the patient reportedly visited before reaching the facility where her infection was identified and three members of the team that collected her samples.
Idris said the team was monitoring the contacts for symptoms adding that the number could change as investigations progressed and they identified further contacts.
According to him health workers are interviewing those listed to establish who they have interacted with and determine whether to monitor additional people.
He added that people without symptoms could be monitored at home with their temperatures checked twice daily while anyone who developed symptoms would be assessed promptly and isolated where necessary.
Idris said contacts would be followed up for 21 days corresponding to Ebola’s maximum incubation period while urging those identified to cooperate with public health officials stressing that being listed as a contact did not mean a person had contracted the disease.
On the confirmed patient the NCDC chief said her condition had improved while tests on her husband had returned negative.
‘The husband has been with the wife. The husband is negative. They travelled together to various places so the travel history is still unfolding to give us a clear picture’ he said.
Idris explained that the patient arrived in Nigeria without symptoms making it difficult to detect the infection through routine screening.
‘It was in reviewing the history that we started hearing about the case. Because she was symptomless there was no way it could be tested at that point’ he said.
On the isolated primary contacts Idris said the Commission is considering offering them monetary incentives as some have started complaining of financial strain from being away from their businesses.
He added however that even if it was decided to give financial assistance it would only be to ensure the FCT administration would take it from there.
He urged States to be prepared for such an occurrence if it gets to that point.
The NCDC is also collaborating with international health authorities including those in Uganda to exchange information.
Idris said Nigeria would meet with Ugandan authorities on Monday for further briefings and information sharing to clarify outstanding issues adding that investigators were reviewing the index case’s passport travel records and other information to establish her movements and possible source of exposure.
Idris said the national incident management system had been activated to coordinate the response involving the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare the NCDC FCT health authorities other government agencies and technical partners.
He said the agency had stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) and was expecting additional supplies for healthcare facilities and states managing suspected cases and contacts.
‘We have PPE right now we have stocks. We are getting in more and we are prioritising for close contacts where they are very necessary’ he said.
He stressed that protective equipment must match the duties being performed as healthcare workers treating patients need different levels of protection than those carrying out other tasks.
On diagnostic capacity Idris said Nigeria had identified about 12 laboratories capable of testing for Ebola including the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and the Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology in Lagos.
He said the country was strengthening laboratory readiness through additional reagents consumables and technical support while genomic sequencing was underway to help establish the relationship between the virus detected in the patient and previously identified strains.
However he cautioned that not all laboratories had the biosafety infrastructure and expertise required to handle Ebola samples.
Idris said the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak has no approved vaccine although vaccine candidates are in clinical trials and that any potential treatment must follow established clinical and regulatory protocols.
He urged healthcare facilities to strengthen infection prevention and control measures maintain a high index of suspicion and promptly report suspected cases.
He said healthcare workers should implement protective measures immediately when they encounter a suspected case rather than wait for laboratory confirmation.
The NCDC chief also urged Nigerians to avoid misinformation and rely on verified updates from authorised health agencies.
He advised the public to practise regular hand hygiene avoid direct contact with the bodily fluids of suspected cases and promptly report possible exposure or symptoms.
‘Our immediate priority is to identify and follow up all contacts protect healthcare workers provide appropriate care and prevent transmission into the wider community’ he said.