The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified two additional suspected cases of Ebola virus disease as health authorities intensify efforts to contain the outbreak.
The agency’s Director-General, Jide Idris, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, October 25, adding that 53 primary contacts had also been identified.
“We have established two additional suspected cases and 53 primary contact links. They are primary contacts. We have an isolation centre and a quarantine centre,” he said.
Idris said the NCDC had strengthened its testing capacity, with about 12 public and private laboratories available to conduct tests for the disease.
He explained that the agency was maintaining heightened surveillance and improving laboratory services to ensure suspected infections were promptly investigated and tested.
The NCDC also urged healthcare facilities across the country to strengthen patient screening, triage and infection prevention measures to reduce the risk of transmission.
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Idris stressed that hospitals and other health facilities must ensure healthcare workers have adequate personal protective equipment when attending to suspected cases.
As part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak, the agency said its public health teams were tracing and monitoring people who may have been exposed to the confirmed case.
The contacts will be monitored for 21 days after their last possible exposure to the virus to help detect any emerging symptoms and facilitate a timely response.
Idris called on Nigerians contacted by public health officials to cooperate with contact-tracing teams and provide accurate information about their movements, contacts and symptoms.
The latest development comes as the NCDC continues surveillance, testing and contact-tracing activities aimed at detecting possible infections early and preventing further spread of Ebola in the country.