NCDC: 28 Ebola Contacts Still Being Monitored in Nigeria
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says 28 people linked to the country’s imported Ebola case remain under surveillance, while 34 others have completed their individual 21-day monitoring period.
The agency’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this in a national health security update released on Tuesday, adding that Nigeria had recorded no additional confirmed cases as of November 9, 2026.
According to Idris, a total of 62 contacts have been identified in connection with the imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease, with contact tracing and surveillance continuing across the country.
He said the response involved the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, state authorities and development partners.
The measures include contact tracing, investigation of reported alerts, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, safe clinical care and surveillance at points of entry.
“We continue to investigate reported alerts and maintain heightened surveillance across the country to ensure that suspected cases are promptly identified and investigated,” Idris said.
He clarified that being identified as a contact did not mean an individual had contracted the virus, explaining that the 21-day monitoring period was intended to help health officials detect possible symptoms early and provide prompt medical intervention.
Idris also cautioned against confusing the monitoring period for individual contacts with the number of days since the index case was confirmed, noting that each person had a separate 21-day follow-up period.
Earlier in November, the NCDC projected that monitoring of all 62 contacts would be completed by November 13, with individual follow-up periods expected to end between October 31 and November 13.
The Federal Government announced Nigeria’s first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease in October after a woman who had travelled from Uganda tested positive in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, said the patient had been admitted to a private hospital in Abuja, where she received treatment before the infection was confirmed.
She was subsequently evacuated to Switzerland for further medical care.
On October 31, the NCDC also announced the identification of two suspected Ebola cases in the North-East, prompting further surveillance and investigation.
By Oluwafemi Shodipe.
