- 53 Contacts Under Watch As Second Suspected Case Tests Negative
- Lagos Expresses Readiness, Upgrades Isolation Centre, Tightens Airport Screening
Nigeria’s Ebola scare has intensified, with health authorities investigating a second suspected case after confirming an imported infection, placing 53 primary contacts under surveillance and tightening the country’s defences against a potentially deadly outbreak.
The development has heightened concerns about the country’s preparedness to contain the virus, particularly in densely populated Lagos, the nation’s commercial hub and a major international travel gateway.
But the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has urged Nigerians not to panic, insisting that surveillance, isolation and contact-tracing measures are being deployed to prevent further transmission.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, the NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said the agency had investigated two suspected cases, including the confirmed index case and another suspected infection in Rivers State.
The Rivers case subsequently tested negative, meaning Nigeria had one confirmed Ebola case as of Sunday, not two confirmed infections.
“We have established two suspected cases and 53 primary contact links. They are primary contacts. We have an isolation centre and a quarantine centre,” Idris said.
The confirmed case involves a 42-year-old woman who returned to Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 3, arriving in Abuja aboard an international flight.
She developed symptoms on October 7 and visited a private health facility on October 10 before being admitted to another facility the following day.
The NCDC was notified on October 19, and laboratory testing confirmed the infection on October 20.
The patient is receiving medical care under isolation, with infection prevention and control measures in place.
The agency said the woman presented with fever, diarrhoea, general body aches and a sore throat but did not report bleeding.
The emergence of the infection has triggered heightened surveillance, contact tracing and screening at international entry points as health authorities race to identify possible exposures and prevent community transmission.
Lagos On Red Alert
In Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration has intensified emergency preparedness, with the state government upgrading its isolation centre, strengthening surveillance and tightening screening measures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said Lagos was prepared to prevent, detect and respond to potential Ebola threats, although no suspected case had been detected in the state as of Sunday.
Abayomi said the government was working with airport management, Port Health Services and other aviation and public health stakeholders to strengthen passenger screening, information-sharing and emergency response coordination.
The state is also expanding laboratory testing arrangements, with a target of obtaining results within 24 hours, while training health workers in infection prevention and control.
Emergency response teams are conducting simulation exercises to ensure personnel are ready to respond if a suspected case emerges.
Lagos’ heightened vigilance is significant given the frequent movement of passengers between the state and Abuja, where the confirmed infection was detected, as well as the city’s international travel connections and dense population.
The state’s experience during Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak, when emergency surveillance and contact tracing helped contain transmission, provides an important foundation for its current response.
However, the latest development has renewed attention on the need for sustained surveillance, adequate isolation facilities, protective equipment for health workers and rapid testing across the country.
What Nigerians Must Watch For
The NCDC has urged public and private hospitals to strengthen screening and triage, promptly isolate patients whose symptoms raise suspicion of Ebola and report suspected infections to public health authorities.
Symptoms may include fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Unexplained bleeding or bruising may also occur.
The virus spreads primarily through direct contact with the blood and other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, contaminated materials or the body of someone who has died from the disease.
Health authorities have advised Nigerians to practise regular handwashing, avoid contact with the body fluids of sick persons and cooperate with contact-tracing teams.
Anyone who suspects exposure or develops concerning symptoms, particularly after contact with a suspected case or travel from an affected area, should promptly contact public health authorities and seek medical guidance rather than self-medicate.
The NCDC says it will continue to provide verified updates as investigations progress, urging Nigerians to reject misinformation and support public health measures.
