NCDC Says 62 Ebola Contacts Expected to Complete Monitoring by November 13

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says the 62 contacts identified following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Nigeria are expected to complete monitoring by November 13, 2026.

The agency disclosed this in its latest Ebola Disease Situation Report obtained by Channels Television on Monday, noting that the contacts have different follow-up completion dates between October 31 and November 13.

Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in the current outbreak on October 20, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo virus in a woman who travelled to the country from Uganda.

Contact Tracing and Surveillance Intensified

The NCDC said contact tracing and monitoring were ongoing, with additional contact tracers mapped and trained to strengthen surveillance.

The agency also plans to assess additional contacts for possible evacuation to a quarantine facility and continue monitoring those already in quarantine.

It added that a high-level stakeholder meeting had been held with partner agencies to improve coordination, resource mobilisation and accountability in the response.

17 Samples Test Negative

According to the report, 18 samples have been tested since the outbreak was confirmed. One sample, from the index patient, returned positive, while the remaining 17 tested negative.

The negative samples comprised 15 collected from contacts of the confirmed patient and two from suspected cases.

The NCDC said genomic sequencing of the confirmed case had been completed in collaboration with the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases.

The agency is also strengthening laboratory capacity, with plans to expand Ebola testing to Lagos and ensure uninterrupted testing at the National Reference Laboratory.

Treatment and Infection Control Measures

The NCDC disclosed that it had assessed the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital's readiness to serve as an isolation and treatment centre. A needs assessment and optimisation of the hospital had also been completed.

A dedicated ambulance has been secured and placed on standby for safe referral of suspected patients, while healthcare workers are receiving sensitisation on infection prevention and control measures.

Other response activities include reviewing isolation and treatment guidelines, strengthening referral systems, assessing isolation capacity at Karu General Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory and improving preparedness in high-risk states.

How Nigeria's Case Was Detected

According to the World Health Organisation, the index patient developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria. She sought medical attention at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11.

She was subsequently evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 for further medical care, alongside her husband, who was identified as a close contact.

Nigeria became the fifth country to detect the virus since the outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15, 2026.

With monitoring expected to continue until November 13, the NCDC says it is maintaining surveillance, laboratory testing and preparedness measures to contain the risk of further transmission.

Channels Television