34 Ebola contacts complete monitoring, 28 remain under surveillance – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says 34 of the 62 people identified as contacts of Nigeria’s imported Bundibugyo Ebola case have completed their 21-day monitoring period, while 28 remain under surveillance.

The agency’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this in a national health security update issued on Tuesday, adding that Nigeria had recorded no additional Ebola case, 21 days after confirming the imported infection from Uganda.

Idris said the agency was sustaining contact tracing, laboratory testing and surveillance while strengthening preparedness for other infectious disease threats, including dengue fever, Chikungunya, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria and Lassa fever.

Ebola response and contact tracing

According to the NCDC, identifying someone as a contact does not mean the individual has contracted Ebola. Rather, the monitoring process is intended to support early detection and prompt response if symptoms develop.

• Providing an update on the contact-tracing exercise, Idris said: “A total of 62 contacts have been identified. Of these, 34 have completed their individual 21-day follow-up, while the remaining 28 are still under monitoring.”

He said the agency was continuing its surveillance and response activities in collaboration with relevant authorities.

• “NCDC, working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the FCT Administration, state authorities and partners, activated a coordinated response. Our priorities are contact tracing, prompt investigation of alerts, laboratory testing, infection prevention, safe clinical care and surveillance at points of entry,” Idris said.

He urged healthcare workers in public and private facilities to remain vigilant, establish patients’ travel and exposure histories, and immediately report suspected Ebola cases to public health authorities.

Idris also advised anyone who develops symptoms after possible exposure to avoid contact with others and call the NCDC toll-free line, 6232, for guidance before visiting a health facility.

Dengue and Chikungunya cases confirmed

The NCDC director-general also said dengue fever had been confirmed in Sokoto and Zamfara States, while Chikungunya was confirmed in Sokoto, prompting intensified surveillance and response activities.

He said National Rapid Response Teams, including entomologists from the National Arbovirus Research Centre in Enugu, had been deployed to support affected states.

• The teams are assisting with case identification, laboratory investigations, clinical readiness, community engagement and mosquito control.
• Idris warned Nigerians against assuming that every fever was malaria, noting that dengue and Chikungunya could cause fever, headaches, body pains and joint pains.
• He urged people experiencing persistent fever, rash, vomiting or severe joint pains to seek medical assessment, warning that dengue could become life-threatening when warning signs were ignored.

He also advised households to eliminate stagnant water, cover water containers, clear discarded tyres and protect themselves against mosquito bites, noting that disease-carrying mosquitoes often bite during the daytime.

Earlier updates on Nigeria’s Ebola response

Nigeria’s response to the imported Ebola infection has involved contact tracing, isolation, laboratory testing and intensified surveillance to prevent further transmission.

• On October 20, 2026, Nairametrics reported that the Federal Government had confirmed an imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease in the FCT involving a woman who had travelled to Nigeria from Uganda. At the time, 44 contacts had been identified, while the patient was receiving treatment in isolation.
• Five days later, on October 25, 2026, Nairametrics reported that the NCDC had identified two additional suspected Ebola cases and expanded contact tracing to 53 primary contacts as authorities intensified surveillance.

The agency clarified that the suspected cases still required laboratory confirmation and did not necessarily mean the individuals had contracted the virus.