The Federal Government is planning to identify and equip Ebola treatment centres in states with designated ports of entry as the number of identified contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case rises to 53.
The government is also assessing isolation facilities and strengthening surveillance, laboratory testing and infection prevention measures to prepare for possible further infections.
According to an Ebola situation report obtained on Sunday, the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) has completed a needs assessment to improve its readiness as an isolation and treatment centre.
An infection prevention and control assessment is also planned for Karu General Hospital in Abuja to determine its capacity to accommodate a possible increase in isolation needs.
The report said the government would identify and optimise treatment centres in states with designated ports of entry and establish referral mechanisms for suspected cases.
The measures are intended to ensure suspected infections can be detected, isolated and transferred promptly to appropriate treatment facilities.
NCDC approves N100,000 weekly support for contacts
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has approved an emergency payment of N100,000 per person weekly to support people placed in isolation or quarantine.
The agency’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said the intervention followed complaints from contacts about the financial burden of feeding, accommodation and supporting their families while complying with public health monitoring arrangements.
“We are providing N100,000 per person per week just to maintain their comfort and feeding, because they were complaining,” Idris said.
He added: “This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along.”
Idris said the government was also paying for accommodation and feeding, adding that the intervention would help people comply with monitoring requirements without additional financial hardship.
He urged state governments to make adequate financial and logistical provisions for contact tracing, isolation and surveillance, warning that the responsibility should not rest with the Federal Capital Territory alone.
“This is not the responsibility of the FCT alone. What we have to do for the FCT, we have to do for any other state, just in case,” he said.
Contact tracing expands as 53 people are identified
The situation report said 53 contacts had been identified, listed and categorised, up from the initial 44 announced after the confirmed case was reported in the FCT.
Idris said 44 of the identified contacts were associated with the health facility where the patient received treatment, while the remaining nine included household members and people who attended to her during an earlier emergency room visit.
Health officials are also identifying secondary contacts to establish whether any of those being monitored may have exposed other people.
“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,” Idris said.
The NCDC said contacts would receive daily follow-ups, while anyone developing symptoms would be assessed promptly.
Idris disclosed that one contact who reported feeling unwell had tested negative, although monitoring and surveillance activities were continuing.
The agency has also revised its Ebola case definition to help healthcare workers and surveillance teams identify suspected infections.
The criteria include people with sudden fever and specified symptoms linked to relevant travel or exposure, those with unexplained bleeding, and individuals who develop symptoms after contact with a confirmed or probable case.
The NCDC urged communities to report unexplained deaths and symptoms suggestive of Ebola, particularly where there is a possible history of exposure.
Laboratory testing and surveillance strengthened
The report said genomic sequencing of the confirmed case had been completed by the NCDC National Reference Laboratory and the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases.
The next steps include sharing the sequencing report, continuing diagnostic testing and maintaining laboratory records.
The agency also plans to distribute additional laboratory reagents and supplies across the national laboratory network to support Ebola testing.
Meanwhile, the government is increasing its stockpile of personal protective equipment and other essential supplies. The report said 500 donated laboratory testing kits had been added to the stockpile, with additional protective equipment and commodities to be positioned in high-risk states.
Port Health Services has also conducted an investigation with aviation stakeholders, while enhanced surveillance at airports and other designated ports of entry will continue.
The report added that the national incident management system had been activated under the coordination of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.
An Incident Action Plan has also been finalised to coordinate activities among government agencies, healthcare facilities and response partners.
The NCDC is strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities to reduce the risk of transmission among health workers, patients and other people.
The planned measures include an infection prevention and control strategy across designated areas to improve screening and isolation.
Idris said the agency was also working to improve healthcare workers’ skills, particularly at 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,” he said.
He added: “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.”
The agency is also sustaining public awareness campaigns and monitoring online discussions to identify misinformation and address public concerns.
It urged Nigerians to rely on official information, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and avoid stigmatising people placed under monitoring.
What we know about Nigeria’s confirmed case
The confirmed case involves a woman who travelled to Nigeria after visiting Uganda, following a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Health authorities previously reported that she developed symptoms, sought medical attention in Abuja and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus this month.
The World Health Organisation is investigating the likely source of the infection.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood, body fluids or tissues of infected people or animals, as well as contaminated materials.
The NCDC has urged Nigerians to practise regular hand hygiene and avoid direct contact with the bodily fluids of anyone suspected of having the disease.
The agency said early detection, isolation, contact tracing and infection prevention remain essential to preventing further transmission.
