By Asaye Bankole
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced that monitoring of 62 individuals identified as contacts of Nigeria’s confirmed imported Ebola case is expected to end on November 13, 2026.
The agency disclosed this in its latest Ebola Disease Situation Report released on Monday, November 2, stating that the contacts were expected to complete their monitoring at different dates between October 31 and November 13.
The NCDC said contact tracing and surveillance activities were ongoing, with additional contact tracers identified and trained to strengthen efforts to monitor individuals who might have been exposed to the virus.
It added that its contact-tracing strategy had been expanded, while Ebola case definitions were reviewed to improve the identification and management of suspected infections.
The agency also disclosed plans to assess additional contacts for possible evacuation to quarantine facilities and continue monitoring those already in quarantine.
According to the report, guidelines covering contact tracing, self-quarantine, self-care kits and emergency communication protocols would also be reviewed.
The agency is equally developing an Ebola disease dashboard on the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS) to improve contact management.
The NCDC said the National Incident Management System had been activated under the leadership of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.
It noted that the national Incident Action Plan had been finalised, while a high-level stakeholders’ meeting had been held to strengthen coordination, resource mobilisation and accountability.
The agency said it was also working with relevant partners across One Health sectors and strengthening preparedness in states considered to be at high risk.
On laboratory investigations, the NCDC disclosed that 18 samples had been tested since the outbreak was confirmed, with one positive result and 17 negative results.
It explained that the positive sample came from the index patient, while the negative samples comprised 15 collected from contacts of the confirmed patient and two from suspected cases.
The agency said laboratory confirmation was obtained on October 20, while genomic sequencing was completed by the NCDC National Reference Laboratory in collaboration with the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID).
It added that testing would continue at the National Reference Laboratory, with plans to expand laboratory capacity to Lagos and distribute additional testing materials across the national laboratory network.
On case management, the NCDC said it had engaged the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital to assess its readiness to serve as an isolation and treatment centre.
It disclosed that the hospital’s needs assessment and facility optimisation had been completed, while a dedicated ambulance had been secured and placed on standby for safe patient referrals.
The agency also said it had engaged the Federal Capital Territory response team on clinical care and psychosocial support for individuals in quarantine facilities.
It further reported that infection prevention and control assessments had been conducted across states and healthcare facilities, with healthcare workers receiving sensitisation on appropriate safety measures.
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in the current outbreak on October 20, 2026, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo strain of the virus in a woman who travelled to the country from Uganda.
According to the World Health Organisation, the patient developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and sought medical attention at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11.
The confirmation made Nigeria the fifth country to detect the virus since the outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15, 2026.
The index patient was evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 for further medical treatment alongside her husband, who was identified as a close contact.
Meanwhile, the NCDC has confirmed that two suspected Ebola cases identified in Yola, Adamawa State, tested negative after two rounds of laboratory investigations.
The agency’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre received a report on October 30 concerning two individuals presenting symptoms suggestive of Ebola.
He explained that the individuals were immediately isolated and their samples collected for laboratory testing.
Idris confirmed that both samples tested negative for Ebola after two rounds of investigations, stressing that there was no laboratory-confirmed case in Adamawa State.
He maintained that the infection previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remained Nigeria’s only confirmed case.
In a related development, the Kaduna State Government has activated its infectious disease hospital in Mando and intensified surveillance across healthcare facilities as part of efforts to prevent a possible outbreak.
The state’s Director of Public Health, Dr Sadique Abubakar, said the government had completed a readiness assessment, strengthened community sensitisation and provided essential medical supplies to selected hospitals.
He added that isolation facilities had been prepared, while rapid response teams and public health emergency structures remained active.
Abubakar also stated that no Ebola contacts had been identified in Kaduna State.
Similarly, the Kano State Centre for Disease Control has strengthened surveillance at border points and motor parks to prevent the possible spread of the disease.
In an advisory issued on October 31, the agency directed health personnel to screen travellers for symptoms including fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea and unexplained bleeding.
It also instructed surveillance officers to obtain travellers’ medical and travel histories, particularly covering the preceding 21 days.
The agency directed that suspected cases should be immediately isolated and reported to the relevant local government disease surveillance officers and the State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre.
It further instructed surveillance teams to provide handwashing facilities, soap and chlorine solutions at border points and motor parks, while ensuring the use of appropriate personal protective equipment.
The Kano agency also called for collaboration with traditional rulers, motor park leaders and the National Union of Road Transport Workers to strengthen public awareness and the prompt reporting of suspected cases.
It warned against stigmatising travellers from the North-East or any other part of the country, urging health workers to conduct screening exercises professionally and respectfully.
The NCDC said contact tracing, laboratory investigations, infection prevention measures and emergency preparedness activities would continue as Nigeria works to prevent further transmission of the virus.
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