Two people investigated for suspected Ebola in Adamawa State have tested negative after two rounds of laboratory testing, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has said.
Director-General Jide Idris said in a statement on Saturday, 31 October, that there was no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in the state. The infection previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remained Nigeria’s only confirmed case.
The Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre received the alert in the early hours of Friday, 30 October. The two patients had presented in Yola with symptoms requiring investigation and were isolated while samples were tested.
“Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EVD after two rounds of testing,” Idris said.
The clarification followed an earlier announcement that two suspected cases had been identified in the North-East. Idris commended the state health authorities’ response and said the NCDC was providing technical support.
The agency urged people to avoid speculation, seek medical attention for concerning symptoms after possible exposure, and give healthcare workers relevant travel and contact histories.
Nigeria confirmed its imported Bundibugyo virus infection on 20 October. The World Health Organization said the patient was a woman who had recently travelled from Uganda. She developed symptoms on 7 October and sought care at a private facility in Abuja on 11 October.
WHO said Nigeria had become the fifth country to detect the virus following the outbreak declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 15 May. The organisation supported case investigation, contact tracing, infection prevention and the provision of protective supplies alongside national authorities.
The NCDC’s situation report dated 26 October subsequently recorded the patient’s evacuation to Switzerland. It said the national incident management system had been activated at its highest level and described continuing contact follow-up and laboratory work.
The report also set out a distinction between suspected and laboratory-confirmed cases. Confirmation requires a positive laboratory result. An alert requiring investigation therefore does not itself establish that a person has Ebola.
WHO says the illness can initially resemble other infections, including malaria and typhoid fever. Laboratory testing is needed to distinguish it reliably. Symptoms can include fever, weakness, muscle pain and headache, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea. Bleeding is less common than is often assumed and may occur later.
The interval between infection and the onset of symptoms ranges from two to 21 days. People cannot transmit the disease before symptoms begin, according to WHO. Transmission occurs through direct contact with infected blood or body fluids, or with contaminated objects and surfaces. The virus can enter through broken skin or mucous membranes, including the eyes, nose and mouth.
WHO identifies rapid investigation, appropriate patient care, contact monitoring and infection-control precautions as central elements of an outbreak response. Health workers treating patients need protection against exposure, and suspected infections require professional assessment.
The NCDC’s public guidance advises against improvised home treatment for suspected Ebola. Its published toll-free contact number is 6232, through which members of the public can seek advice or report concerns about possible exposure.
Archive photograph: NCDC Director-General Jide Idris, via Credible News. Photographer and capture date not identified. The image does not show the Adamawa patients or laboratory tests.
