The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced that monitoring of 62 contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case is expected to end by November 13, 2026.

The agency disclosed this in its latest Ebola Disease Situation Report obtained by Channels Television on Monday, November 2.

Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in the current outbreak on October 20, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo virus in a woman who had travelled to the country from Uganda.

According to the NCDC, the identified contacts are expected to complete monitoring at different times between October 31 and November 13.

The agency said contact tracing and monitoring activities were ongoing, with additional contact tracers mapped and trained to strengthen surveillance.

It also disclosed plans to assess additional contacts for possible evacuation to quarantine facilities and continue monitoring those already in quarantine.

17 Samples Test Negative

The NCDC reported that 18 samples had been tested since the outbreak was confirmed, with one positive result and 17 negative results.

The positive sample was obtained from the confirmed patient, while the negative samples comprised 15 collected from her contacts and two from suspected cases.

The agency said phylogenetic sequencing had been completed by its National Reference Laboratory and the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases.

It added that contact identification strategies and Ebola case definitions had been reviewed to improve the detection and management of suspected infections.

Nigeria Strengthens Ebola Preparedness

The NCDC said the National Incident Management System had been activated under the leadership of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.

The agency disclosed that response activities were continuing across various areas, including surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, and case management.

It also said standard operating procedures had been validated for sample reception, molecular detection and genomic sequencing.

The NCDC plans to maintain uninterrupted Ebola testing at its National Reference Laboratory and expand testing capacity to Lagos.

The agency further disclosed that an assessment of isolation facilities had been conducted, while healthcare workers were being sensitised on infection prevention and control measures.

It said a dedicated ambulance had been secured and placed on standby for safe patient referral.

How Nigeria’s Ebola Case Was Detected

According to the World Health Organisation, the confirmed patient developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria.

She reportedly sought medical attention at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11.

Following laboratory confirmation on October 20, Nigeria became the fifth country to detect the virus since the outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15, 2026.

The patient was subsequently evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 for further medical care, alongside her husband, who was identified as a close contact.

The NCDC said surveillance, contact tracing and preparedness activities would continue as part of Nigeria’s response to the outbreak.

Source: Channels Television, citing the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).