By Divine Sam

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified 53 contacts of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient and directed hospitals nationwide to promptly isolate suspected cases without waiting for laboratory confirmation, as authorities intensify efforts to contain the outbreak.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, gave the directive following confirmation of an Ebola case caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on October 20.

Idris stressed that early identification of suspected cases and strict infection prevention measures were critical to protecting healthcare workers, other patients and the wider public from possible transmission.

According to the NCDC’s Ebola Disease Situation Report dated October 24, the confirmed patient, a 42-year-old woman who returned to Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3, had reportedly shown significant improvement while receiving treatment in isolation.

The 53 contacts identified by the response team include healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s spouse. They have been categorised for follow-up, with monitoring expected to continue for 21 days after their last possible exposure.

The agency said contact tracing remained a major priority as public health teams worked to identify and monitor people who might have been exposed to the confirmed case.

Idris said the detection of the infection demonstrated the importance of Nigeria’s surveillance systems and the vigilance of healthcare workers.

“The detection of this case demonstrates the importance of the surveillance systems we have continued to strengthen over the years,” he said.

He warned that hospitals must not wait for laboratory results before taking precautions when Ebola is suspected.

“Any suspected case must be promptly separated from other patients and reported to the relevant public health authorities. Healthcare workers should not wait for laboratory confirmation before taking appropriate precautions,” the NCDC boss said.

He also highlighted the need to protect healthcare workers, noting that delays in recognising and managing suspected cases could expose medical personnel to infection.

“Protecting healthcare workers is essential to protecting the communities they serve,” Idris said.

The confirmed case followed an alert from a private health facility on October 19. According to the situation report, the woman developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria.

Her symptoms included fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and a sore throat. She first presented at a private health facility on October 10 and was admitted to another private facility on October 11.

The NCDC was notified on October 19, and laboratory testing confirmed the infection the following day. No bleeding was reported in the case details contained in the situation report.

Following confirmation, the agency activated its national incident management system at the highest level. Response activities are being coordinated through the Emergency Operations Centre in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, FCT authorities and other partners.

The response includes surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory investigations, infection prevention and control, public risk communication and measures to strengthen preparedness across health facilities.

The NCDC directed hospitals to maintain effective screening and triage systems, promptly separate suspected cases from other patients, notify public health authorities and implement appropriate infection prevention and control measures.

These precautions include proper hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, injection safety, safe handling of sharps, appropriate waste management and the correct use of personal protective equipment.

The agency said the measures were intended to prevent delays that could expose other patients, healthcare workers and caregivers before a suspected infection was recognised and managed.

In a related development, a suspected Ebola case reported in Rivers State on October 23 tested negative, according to the NCDC’s situation report.

The result meant the Rivers alert had not resulted in another confirmed case in t