The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that monitoring of the 62 contacts identified following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in the country is expected to be completed by November 13, 2026.
The agency disclosed this in its latest Ebola disease situation report, which was obtained by “Channels Television” on Monday, November 2.
According to the report, the contacts have different follow-up completion dates, ranging from October 31 to November 13. The date represents the expected completion of monitoring for the currently identified contacts, not an announcement that all Ebola surveillance activities will end.
Contact Tracing and Surveillance Continue
The NCDC said contact tracing and monitoring were still ongoing, with additional contact tracers mapped and trained to strengthen surveillance.
The agency also outlined plans to assess additional contacts for possible evacuation to a quarantine facility and continue follow-up of individuals already in quarantine.
Its report showed that 18 samples had been tested since the outbreak was confirmed in Nigeria. One tested positive, while the remaining 17 returned negative results. The positive sample was from the index case, while the negative results included samples from 15 contacts and two suspected cases.
Nigeria confirmed its first case in the current outbreak on October 20, after laboratory tests identified the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in a woman who had travelled from Uganda.
Response Measures Remain in Place
The NCDC said it was continuing coordination with relevant health agencies and partners to strengthen the national response.
Its planned activities include maintaining laboratory testing capacity, improving preparedness in states considered at higher risk and strengthening infection prevention and control measures in health facilities.
The agency also said it was working with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital on its readiness to serve as an isolation and treatment centre.
The expected November 13 completion date is therefore a timeline for monitoring the 62 identified contacts. The NCDC’s wider surveillance, preparedness and response measures remain in progress.
