NCDC says 28 Ebola contacts remain under monitoring

28 contacts of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case remain under monitoring, while 34 others have completed follow-up, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said on Tuesday.

In a public health advisory, NCDC Director-General Jide Idris said Nigeria had recorded no additional confirmed infections as of 9 November, three weeks after the imported case was confirmed.

The agency said all 62 identified contacts had separate 21-day monitoring periods. Being listed as a contact does not mean a person has Ebola, and the time since the first diagnosis must not be treated as the end of everyone’s follow-up.

Nigeria confirmed the infection on 20 October in a traveller from Uganda. The disease was caused by the Bundibugyo virus.

The update follows negative tests for two suspected cases in Adamawa State. The NCDC said it was continuing contact tracing, laboratory testing, investigation of alerts and surveillance at points of entry.

Idris urged healthcare facilities to check patients’ travel and exposure histories and promptly report suspected infections. People who develop symptoms after possible exposure should avoid contact with others and call the agency’s toll-free line, 6232, before travelling to a health facility.

Sources: NCDC advisory; NCDC contact-tracing update; Premium Times; Channels Television