ABUJA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian public health authorities on Sunday said they had identified and followed up on 53 contacts linked to the country's only confirmed Ebola case.
Jide Idris, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), told a media briefing Sunday evening that the contacts include healthcare workers, domestic staff, and the patient's spouse.
The confirmed case involves a 42-year-old woman who returned to the Nigerian capital of Abuja from Uganda via Addis Ababa on Oct. 3. She developed symptoms, including fever, diarrhea, generalized body aches and sore throat, on Oct. 7.
Idris said contact tracing and monitoring were underway, with public health teams working to identify people who might have been exposed to the confirmed case and monitor them for 21 days after their last possible exposure.
The NCDC director-general said the index case had "improved remarkably" and was receiving medical care in isolation in Abuja.
The woman first presented at a private health facility on Oct. 10 and was admitted to another private facility on Oct. 11. The NCDC was notified of the case on Oct. 19, after which samples were collected and an investigation conducted, Idris said. Laboratory tests conducted by the NCDC confirmed the case on Oct. 20.
According to Idris, a suspected case reported by Rivers State on Friday tested negative for Ebola, with the result communicated to state authorities.
"Assessments of infection prevention and control capacity have been conducted across states and healthcare facilities ... and enhanced surveillance at the country's points of entry is continuing, alongside public awareness activities and monitoring of rumors and misinformation," he added.
Meanwhile, authorities in Nigeria's most populous city, Lagos, have dismissed reports of a suspected Ebola case in the southwestern state.
In a statement, the Lagos State government reassured residents of its readiness to prevent, detect and respond to potential Ebola threats following the confirmation of an imported case of Ebola virus disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in Abuja.
Ebola virus disease is transmitted through direct contact with the blood, secretions, other bodily fluids or organs of infected people or animals. Its incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
Symptoms may include fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes. In severe cases, the disease can cause impaired kidney and liver function as well as internal and external bleeding. ■