The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has dismissed rumours of an Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, saying there is currently no confirmed case in the country.
Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, made this known on Tuesday at a virtual capacity-building workshop for journalists on effective Ebola reporting in Lagos.
Idris warned that misinformation linking the disease to election postponement and lockdown could undermine containment efforts.
He clarified that a woman whose Ebola infection was confirmed on October 20 after returning to Abuja from Uganda was evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 alongside her husband at the request and expense of the Swiss government.
He said the patient had improved clinically before her departure and her evacuation should not be seen as a vote of no confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Idris disclosed that 54 primary contacts linked to the woman remain under daily surveillance, with most quarantined in Abuja and a few on self-quarantine at home. Three contacts who developed symptoms last week all tested negative.
He however cautioned that no confirmed case does not mean Nigeria is Ebola-free, stressing that surveillance and tracing of secondary contacts must continue until no further transmission is established.
Leave a comment