Adedokun Waliyu 
Two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in the North-East region of Nigeria.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed this in a post on its official X handle, adding that both individuals had been isolated.
It also said contact identification and listing were ongoing, while laboratory testing was underway.
According to the agency, confirmation is subject to laboratory results.
“Two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in Nigeria’s North-East region. Both individuals have been isolated, contact identification and listing is ongoing, and laboratory testing is being conducted,” the NCDC said.
“Being classified as suspected cases does not mean they are confirmed Ebola cases; confirmation is subject to laboratory results.
“The public is advised to maintain good hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation and follow guidance from public health authorities. Further updates will be provided as verified information becomes available.”
The latest update by the NCDC came days after it announced that another contact, an e-hailing driver, had been identified in connection with the confirmed case of the recent Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, increasing the number of primary contacts to 54.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, told Channels Television that efforts were ongoing to identify secondary contacts.
“So we are not out of the woods yet until we are sure that we have all the contacts, and they have been followed up. So we are still not out of the woods; because the index case is out doesn’t mean that we don’t have that,” he said.
The Federal Government had announced Nigeria’s first confirmed case of the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja, identifying the patient as a woman with a recent travel history to Uganda.
The woman reportedly returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7. However, Ugandan authorities denied reports of an Ebola outbreak in the East African country.
The index patient was later flown to Switzerland along with her husband.
