The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, and the Mandate Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing in Abuja.
They confirmed that the last contact had been discharged after completing the monitoring period, with none of the 62 individuals developing Ebola.
Idris said the index patient, who was medically evacuated to Switzerland on 26 October after receiving treatment in Nigeria, tested positive for the virus upon arrival in the European country but subsequently recovered, tested negative and was discharged from hospital.
He explained that the patient had continued to test positive while receiving further treatment in Switzerland until a recent test confirmed that she had cleared the infection.
However, the NCDC chief cautioned that the completion of contact monitoring should not be interpreted as a formal declaration that the outbreak was over, stressing that surveillance and preparedness measures would remain in place.
“The 21-day monitoring period for contacts linked to the index case has been completed, with the last contact discharged today. We are glad to announce that none of the contacts became ill with the disease, meaning no transmission from the index case,” he said.
According to Idris, 13 of the 62 contacts developed fever or other non-specific symptoms during the monitoring period, but all tested negative for Ebola.
He added that seven other suspected cases reported in Adamawa, Rivers, Borno, Lagos and Ekiti states were investigated, with all returning negative results.
Addressing concerns surrounding the patient’s evacuation to Switzerland, Idris said the decision was not an indication of a lack of confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system, maintaining that the hospital where she initially received treatment had managed her condition appropriately.
He explained that the evacuation was required by the foreign country, adding that Nigerian and Swiss health authorities had maintained communication and shared information throughout the patient’s treatment.
Despite the successful completion of contact tracing, Idris warned that Nigeria was not yet out of danger, particularly amid the continued occurrence of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He disclosed that the National Emergency Operations Centre remained activated at Level 3, the highest response level for Ebola, while surveillance activities continued nationwide and at international points of entry.
He said states had been categorised according to their exposure levels and risk profiles, with those hosting international airports and sharing border connections receiving priority attention. Other states, he added, were also being supported to strengthen their preparedness.
The NCDC director-general urged Nigerians to seek medical attention promptly when they feel unwell, disclose their travel history and any possible exposure to healthcare workers, and avoid unprotected contact with the blood and body fluids of suspected cases.
He also called on organisers of religious gatherings, political rallies, concerts and other mass events to ensure the availability of sanitation facilities, safe drinking water and medical assistance, particularly ahead of the December festive season.
Providing details of how the index case was detected, Fasawe said a private health facility alerted the FCT Epidemiological Unit after suspecting an Ebola infection.
She explained that the hospital had obtained the patient’s travel history, prompting the FCT Rapid Response Team to visit the facility and collect samples for laboratory testing.
According to her, members of the response team who had come into contact with the patient were isolated for three weeks and completed the monitoring period without developing the disease.
Fasawe attributed the early detection to the hospital’s high index of suspicion and urged private health facilities in the FCT to report suspected infectious disease cases promptly through the NCDC emergency line or the relevant FCT health authorities.
She added that private hospitals accredited by the FCT had been informed of the procedures to follow when dealing with suspected infectious disease cases.
The Mandate Secretary commended the NCDC, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, development partners and the FCT administration for their collaboration in coordinating the response.
