Ebola: Three emergency room workers among new contacts

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has increased the number of primary contacts being monitored over Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case to 53, as investigations expand to an emergency room where the patient received treatment.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday, saying nine additional primary contacts had been identified outside the initial 44 people linked to the health facility where the infection was confirmed.

The additional contacts include three members of the patient’s household and people who attended to her during an earlier visit to an emergency room.

Idris said the agency was also identifying secondary contacts to determine the extent of possible exposure and prevent further transmission.

“As of now, we have 53 primary contacts. Of these, 44 are people from that health facility where the patient was treated,” he said.

The Federal Government had initially announced that 44 contacts were being monitored after the Ebola case was confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20.

According to the World Health Organisation, the patient, a woman who recently travelled from Uganda, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention on October 11 before her infection was confirmed.

Idris said contact tracing was not limited to people who had direct interactions with the patient, explaining that investigators were working to establish whether those already identified had exposed others to the virus.

“For each person, we are going to ask questions. We have to establish who they have been in contact with. If we can identify those people, they will also be monitored,” he said.

Three people who provided care to the patient at the emergency room were among the additional contacts identified.

The investigation also covers healthcare workers involved in collecting samples from the patient, raising the importance of strict infection prevention and control measures in health facilities.

The NCDC director-general said the agency was strengthening such measures while working to improve disease preparedness and response capabilities at the state and local government levels.

“When our infection prevention and control teams visit a facility, they assess the systems in place and identify areas that need to be corrected,” Idris said.

He acknowledged gaps in the capacity of health workers at the subnational level, saying the agency was prioritising training to improve the management of suspected cases.

“Capabilities and competencies at the subnational level are not as high as they should be. We are responsible for building those capabilities. That is why training is one of our most important priorities,” he said.

The NCDC said contacts who remained asymptomatic would continue to be monitored, including through temperature checks, while anyone developing symptoms would require immediate assessment and appropriate intervention.

The confirmed infection involves the Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola associated with an outbreak affecting parts of Central and East Africa.

The Federal Government has urged public and private healthcare facilities to remain vigilant, promptly isolate suspected cases, observe infection prevention protocols and report suspected infections to public health authorities.

The World Health Organisation has stressed that rapid case identification, effective contact tracing and strict infection prevention measures are essential to containing the outbreak and protecting healthcare workers and communities.