NCDC expects to complete monitoring of 62 contacts linked to Nigeria’s imported Ebola case by November 13, while contact tracing and surveillance continue.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) expects to complete the monitoring of 62 contacts linked to Nigeria’s imported Ebola case by November 13, 2026, as health authorities continue surveillance and preparedness activities to prevent further transmission.
The agency disclosed this in its Ebola Disease Situation Report dated October 29, which said the contacts were scheduled to complete follow-up between October 31 and November 13. It added that contact tracing and monitoring were ongoing.
The projected date marks the latest expected completion of follow-up for the 62 contacts identified so far. It does not signal the end of Nigeria’s Ebola response, as the agency plans to assess additional contacts and continue monitoring those in quarantine.
NCDC expands Ebola contact tracing and surveillance
According to the report, the NCDC has reviewed and expanded its strategy for identifying contacts and updated the case definitions for Ebola disease to improve the detection and management of suspected infections.
It said additional contact tracers had also been identified and trained to strengthen surveillance.
The agency listed plans to review its guidelines on contact tracing, self-quarantine, self-care kits and Ebola call protocols. It also plans to develop an Ebola disease dashboard on the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS) to improve contact management.
The report further indicated that the agency would assess additional contacts for possible evacuation to a quarantine facility and continue following up with people already in quarantine.
Nigeria’s National Incident Management System (IMS) has also been activated to coordinate the response. The NCDC said an Incident Action Plan had been finalised and that implementation of priority activities was continuing across the response teams.
It added that a high-level meeting had been held with partner agencies to strengthen coordination, resource mobilisation and accountability.
Nigeria’s imported Ebola case and contact monitoring
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in the current outbreak on October 20, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo virus in a 42-year-old woman who had travelled from Uganda to Abuja.
The woman arrived in Nigeria on October 3, developed symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to a private health facility in Abuja on October 11. The NCDC was notified on October 19, and laboratory tests confirmed the infection the following day.
The patient was evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 following a formal request from her country and clearance from Nigerian authorities.
The NCDC’s October 29 report said the 62 contacts linked to the case had been identified and categorised. It recorded no contacts who had tested positive, while 17 of the 18 samples tested at the time were negative. Those negative samples included 15 from contacts and two from suspected cases.
NCDC confirms suspected Adamawa cases tested negative
The latest developments followed an Ebola alert in Adamawa State after two people presenting with symptoms suggestive of the disease were identified in Yola on October 30.
The NCDC initially said the individuals had been isolated while samples were collected for laboratory testing.
However, in a statement issued on November 1, the agency’s Director-General, Jide Idris, said both samples had tested negative after two rounds of testing. He confirmed that there was no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa and that the FCT index case remained Nigeria’s only confirmed case.
The NCDC urged Nigerians to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information and rely on official public health updates.
It also advised anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly after possible exposure, to seek medical attention and inform healthcare workers of their travel or contact history.
