The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it is monitoring 53 primary contacts linked to the country’s confirmed Ebola case, as investigations expand to include people who may have been exposed to the patient at multiple locations.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday during a press briefing, explaining that 44 of the contacts were associated with the health facility where the patient was treated, while nine others had been identified outside the facility.

The additional contacts include three members of the patient’s household and individuals who attended to her at an emergency room she visited before arriving at the facility where her Ebola infection was subsequently confirmed.

Idris said the agency was extending its contact-tracing exercise beyond people who had direct contact with the patient to identify others who might have been exposed through the initial group of contacts.

“As of now, we have 53 primary contacts. Of these, 44 are people from that health facility where the patient was treated,” he said.

The latest figure represents an increase from the 44 contacts initially announced by the Federal Government following the confirmation of the Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on October 20.

According to information previously provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the patient, a woman who recently travelled from Uganda, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention on October 11 before her infection was confirmed.

The NCDC said investigations were ongoing to establish the full chain of possible exposure and ensure that everyone who might have come into contact with the patient was identified and placed under appropriate monitoring.

Explaining the process, Idris said health officials would interview each identified contact to determine whether they had interacted with other people who might also require monitoring.

“For each person, we are going to ask questions. We have to establish who they have been in contact with. If we can identify those people, they will also be monitored,” he said.

He disclosed that the patient’s medical history showed that she had visited an emergency room before presenting at the health facility where the infection was eventually confirmed.

According to him, the agency had commenced efforts to trace individuals who attended to the patient during the earlier visit, with three healthcare providers from the emergency room included among the additional contacts identified.

The investigation also covers healthcare personnel involved in collecting samples from the patient, underscoring concerns about the potential exposure of health workers during the management and investigation of suspected Ebola cases.

Idris said the NCDC was working to strengthen infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities to reduce the risk of transmission among medical personnel, patients and other members of the public.

He explained that the agency’s infection prevention and control teams routinely assess health facilities to determine whether appropriate safety procedures are in place and identify gaps requiring urgent attention.

“When our infection prevention and control teams visit a facility, they assess the systems in place and identify areas that need to be corrected,” he said.

The NCDC director-general also acknowledged the need to improve preparedness and technical capacity among health workers at the state and local government levels, noting that effective outbreak management requires trained personnel and functional infection prevention systems across the country.

“Capabilities and competencies at the subnational level are not as high as they should be. We are responsible for building those capabilities. That is why training is one of our most important priorities,” Idris said.

He stressed that strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers remained central to the country’s efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent further infections. (Weekend Trust)