The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has increased the number of persons being monitored over Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case from 44 to 53, as health authorities expand contact tracing to identify others who may have been exposed to the patient.
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Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday during a press briefing, saying 44 of the identified primary contacts were linked to the health facility where the patient was treated, while nine others were traced outside the facility.
The additional contacts include three members of the patient’s household and healthcare workers who attended to her at an emergency room she visited before presenting at the facility where her Ebola infection was eventually confirmed.
“As of now, we have 53 primary contacts. Of these, 44 are people from that health facility where the patient was treated,” Idris said.
The latest figure represents an increase from the 44 contacts initially announced by the Federal Government after the Ebola case was confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20.
According to information earlier provided by 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.
The NCDC said investigations were continuing to establish the full chain of possible exposure and ensure that everyone who may have come into contact with the patient is identified and placed under appropriate monitoring.
Idris explained that the tracing exercise would extend beyond the primary contacts, as health officials interview each person to determine whether they had subsequently interacted with others who may also require monitoring.
“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.
The NCDC Director-General said the patient’s medical history showed that she had visited an emergency room before arriving at the health facility where her Ebola infection was confirmed.
He said efforts were underway to trace persons who attended to her during the earlier visit, with three healthcare providers from the emergency room already included among the additional contacts.
The investigation also covers healthcare personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient, highlighting the potential exposure risks faced by health workers during the management and investigation of suspected Ebola cases.
Idris said the NCDC was strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities to reduce the risk of transmission among medical personnel, patients and members of the public.
According to him, infection prevention and control teams routinely assess health facilities to determine whether appropriate safety measures are in place and identify deficiencies requiring urgent correction.
“When our infection prevention and control teams visit a facility, they assess the systems in place and identify areas that need to be corrected,” he said.
Idris also acknowledged gaps in preparedness and technical capacity among healthcare workers at state and local government levels, saying effective outbreak management requires trained personnel and functional infection prevention systems across the country.
“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.
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