The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified two suspected cases of Ebola disease in Nigeria’s North-East region.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on its official X handle, saying both individuals had been isolated while contact tracing and laboratory testing were underway.
The NCDC stressed that the cases had not been confirmed, noting that the final determination would depend on laboratory results.
“Being classified as suspected cases does not mean they are confirmed Ebola cases; confirmation is subject to laboratory results,” the agency said.
It urged Nigerians to maintain good hand hygiene, practise improved sanitation and follow public health guidelines to reduce the risk of infection.
“Further updates will be provided as verified information becomes available,” the NCDC added.
The development comes days after the agency identified another contact, an e-hailing driver, linked to Nigeria’s recent confirmed Ebola case, bringing the number of primary contacts to 54.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, had earlier warned that the country was not yet free from the risk of further transmission, as efforts to identify and monitor contacts continued.
Speaking to Channels Television on October 26, Idris said authorities were still working to identify secondary contacts.
“So we are not out of the woods yet until we are sure that we have all the contacts, and they have been followed up,” he said.
The Federal Government had earlier announced Nigeria’s first confirmed case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in Abuja.
The patient was identified as a woman who reportedly returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7 following a trip to Uganda.
However, Ugandan authorities denied reports of an Ebola outbreak in the East African country.
The index patient was subsequently flown to Switzerland alongside her husband for further medical care.
