Two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in Nigeria’s North-East with both individuals isolated and laboratory tests underway as health authorities intensify surveillance following the country’s first confirmed case in more than a decade.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) yesterday said contact identification and listing were ongoing stressing that the classification of the two individuals as suspected cases did not mean they had tested positive for the disease.
The development comes amid continued contact tracing and monitoring following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20.
The index case involved a 42-year-old woman who arrived in Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3.
She developed symptoms on October 7 and sought treatment at private health facilities before the NCDC was notified and samples were collected.
Laboratory tests at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory confirmed infection with the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus on October 20.
Following the confirmation the Federal Government activated its public health response while health authorities began tracing people who might have been exposed to the patient including healthcare workers household contacts and people linked to her travel.
The NCDC initially identified 44 close contacts with the number subsequently rising to 54 as investigations progressed.
The contacts had been identified and were under follow-up.
The index patient was later medically evacuated from Abuja to Switzerland alongside her husband who had remained asymptomatic.
The evacuation followed an improvement in her clinical condition but Nigerian health authorities cautioned that removing the patient from the country did not mean the risk of further transmission had ended.
Contact tracing and monitoring have continued to identify possible infections among people who may have been exposed.
In a related development a suspected Ebola case reported in Rivers State after the initial confirmation tested negative in laboratory investigations.
The NCDC’s situation report said the suspected case was reported on October 23 with the negative result communicated to the state.
The result was among the negative samples recorded during investigations into possible infections linked to the outbreak.
The newly identified suspected cases in the North-East are now undergoing laboratory testing with further updates expected as verified information becomes available.
The NCDC urged Nigerians to maintain good hand hygiene observe proper sanitation and follow guidance issued by public health authorities.
It also advised the public to avoid direct contact with the blood and body fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola and to cooperate with health officials conducting contact tracing and monitoring.
The agency has repeatedly emphasised that being identified as a suspected case or contact does not mean a person has Ebola. Laboratory confirmation is required to establish infection.
Nigeria’s response has included intensified surveillance laboratory testing isolation arrangements and contact monitoring with health authorities working to identify possible infections early and prevent further transmission.
The public has been urged to remain calm rely on verified information and promptly report possible exposure or symptoms to public health authorities.