Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified two additional suspected cases of Ebola virus disease and 53 primary contacts as authorities intensify efforts to contain the outbreak.
Jide Idris, the director-general of the NCDC, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, saying isolation and quarantine facilities are open to support the response.
“We have established two additional suspected cases and 53 primary contact links. They are primary contacts. We have an isolation centre and a quarantine centre,” Idris said.
The development adds to concerns about the disease’s potential spread, prompting public health authorities to strengthen surveillance, testing and contact tracing.
Idris said about 12 public and private laboratories are available to conduct Ebola tests, adding that the NCDC has strengthened its laboratory capacity to ensure suspected infections are investigated and confirmed promptly.
Rapid testing and identification of exposed individuals are critical to containing Ebola, a highly infectious disease that can spread through direct contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person, particularly after symptoms develop.
The NCDC said it was maintaining heightened surveillance and expanding its capacity to detect and investigate suspected infections as part of measures to prevent further transmission.
The agency also called on public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to strengthen screening and triage procedures, alongside infection prevention and control measures.
Healthcare workers were urged to ensure they had adequate personal protective equipment and followed appropriate safety protocols when handling suspected cases.
The emphasis on health facility preparedness reflects the risk of transmission in clinical settings when infections are not detected early or protective measures are inadequate.
The NCDC said its public health teams were tracing and monitoring people who might have been exposed to the confirmed case. Those identified as contacts are to be monitored for 21 days after their last possible exposure, in line with the disease’s incubation period.
Contact tracing enables health officials to identify potentially exposed individuals, monitor them for symptoms and arrange prompt isolation and testing where necessary.
Idris urged Nigerians contacted by public health officials to cooperate with tracing teams and provide accurate information about their movements, contacts and any symptoms they might experience.
He said cooperation from affected individuals would support efforts to identify possible transmission links and reduce the risk of further infections.
The agency’s response combines laboratory testing, surveillance, isolation and contact monitoring, measures intended to detect infections early and interrupt chains of transmission.
The NCDC urged healthcare providers to remain alert to suspected cases and maintain infection prevention measures, while members of the public were encouraged to cooperate with health officials as investigations continue.
Onyinye Nwachukwu is the Abuja Bureau Chief of BusinessDay, overseeing coverage across Abuja and Northern Nigeria. With more than two decades of experience in economic and financial journalism, she reports on business, policy, and market trends, linking local developments to the global economy. A fellow of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and recipient of the P. Vishwanathan Memorial Award for Excellence in Financial Journalism, she is known for her insightful storytelling and interviews with senior policymakers, diplomats, and business leaders. Well traveled and globally minded, Onyinye brings depth and international perspective to her reporting.
