Ebola: index patient still positive as 62 Nigerian contacts are monitored

The index patient in Nigeria’s Ebola outbreak remains positive and is hospitalised in Switzerland, while 62 contacts are being monitored, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). The agency’s Director of Public Health, Dr Odianosan Ehiakhamen, said this during a webinar of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research. He said the viral load appears to be falling, as shown by rising cycle threshold (Ct) values, even though the tests remain positive. The patient’s spouse has tested negative and is being housed separately. Six contacts have left quarantine. The agency is aiming for 7 December for a possible declaration of the end of the outbreak, provided no new case appears.

The official acknowledges a delay in diagnosis: the patient had initially been treated for malaria and other fevers. He cites early detection, awareness among health workers, the availability of isolation centres and coordination between federal and state authorities as areas for improvement. He calls on state governments to strengthen surveillance, appoint incident managers and provide the means needed for quarantine and contact tracing. For the Bundibugyo strain, no specific vaccine or antiviral treatment has been established, which makes early detection decisive.

Professor Lolade Wright, of the College of Medicine’s Department of Community Medicine at Lagos State University, warns that Nigeria risks new transmissions without dedicated funding for infection prevention and control. She calls for a specific budget line for this at federal and state level, rather than relying on emergency funds. She also advocates a "One Health" approach linking human health, the environment and agriculture, as well as public information to counter the stigmatisation of survivors. For Lagos, she recommends strengthened triage systems, increased laboratory capacity and regular training for health workers.