Ebola: NCDC Identifies 62 Contacts, Monitoring To End November 13

The agency, in it’s Ebola response update, said contact tracing and monitoring were ongoing, while the expected completion dates for the identified contacts ranged from October 31 to November 13.

According to the latest efforts have been intensified to ensure that all identified contacts complete the required follow-up period, with additional contact tracers mapped and trained to strengthen surveillance.

The agency also disclosed that it had reviewed the Ebola disease case definitions and expanded its contact identification strategy to improve the effectiveness of the response.

It said guidelines on contact tracing, self-quarantine, self-care kits and Ebola call protocols were also being reviewed as part of measures to strengthen case management and monitoring.

On laboratory investigations,  NCDC disclosed that 18 samples had been tested so far, with only one testing positive for Ebola, while 17 returned negative results.

It explained that the 17 negative samples comprised 15 samples collected from contacts of the index case and two samples from suspected cases.

The agency further confirmed that laboratory confirmation of the index case was reported on October 20, 2026, while phylogenetic sequencing had been completed by the NCDC National Reference Laboratory in collaboration with the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID).

It added that standard operating procedures and job aids covering sample reception, molecular detection and genomic sequencing had been validated to strengthen laboratory response.

NCDC said it was also developing an Ebola Disease dashboard on the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS), alongside a separate dashboard for contact management.

Other ongoing activities include assessing additional contacts for possible evacuation to the quarantine facility and continuing the monitoring of those already in quarantine.

Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of Ebola Virus Disease in the current outbreak on October 20, 2026, involving the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

The index case was a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman, the wife of a Swiss diplomat, who arrived in Abuja on October 3 after a visit to Uganda.

Following her diagnosis, the federal government, through the NCDC, activated response measures, including contact tracing, isolation, laboratory testing and surveillance to prevent further transmission.

The patient was subsequently evacuated to Switzerland for continued medical care, while her husband was also evacuated.

Two suspected Ebola cases earlier reported in Adamawa State were subsequently confirmed negative following laboratory tests.

The Bundibugyo strain is one of the Ebola virus species for which there is no specifically approved vaccine or treatment.