The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has identified a ride-hailing driver who transported the country’s confirmed Ebola patient, increasing the latest reported number of identified contacts to 54.
According to The Guardian, NCDC Director-General Jide Idris disclosed the development during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
Idris explained that the contact was identified after health officials obtained additional details about the patient’s movements before her diagnosis.
The development comes despite the medical evacuation of the infected woman and her husband to Switzerland.
NCDC traces driver linked to Ebola patient
Health officials identified the driver as part of investigations into the patient’s movements before receiving treatment at a hospital in Abuja.
The agency disclosed that surveillance teams were following up on individuals who may have encountered the patient during her illness.
Idris maintained that contact tracing remained necessary even though Nigeria currently had no confirmed Ebola patient receiving treatment within the country.
“We are not out of the woods yet until we are sure that all the contacts have been followed up,” he warned.
The NCDC is monitoring identified contacts for 21 days to detect possible symptoms.
More than 40 contacts are reportedly undergoing quarantine in Abuja, while six others are being monitored at home.
The agency also confirmed that three contacts who underwent repeat testing returned negative results.
WHO says Nigeria not yet Ebola-free
The World Health Organisation has clarified that the patient’s evacuation does not mean Nigeria has officially been declared free of Ebola.
Health authorities must complete contact monitoring and observe the required outbreak surveillance period before such a declaration can be made.
The Federal Government has identified December 7 as a possible date for declaring the outbreak over if no additional confirmed or probable cases emerge.
However, the date remains provisional and requires validation by the NCDC and WHO.
Ebola patient receives treatment in Switzerland
The infected woman was evacuated on Monday after her condition improved following treatment by Nigerian healthcare professionals.
She is receiving further medical care at Geneva University Hospital.
Her husband, who tested negative for Ebola, is undergoing monitoring at Zurich University Hospital.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate confirmed that the patient’s improvement did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious.
The NCDC maintained that continued testing, surveillance and infection prevention measures were essential to containing the outbreak.
It urged Nigerians to cooperate with public health officials and avoid spreading unverified information about the disease.
