Nigeria Tracks 53 Contacts Linked to Ebola Case

Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking 53 primary contacts linked to the country’s confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease case, up from 44 previously identified, Director-General Jide Idris said at a briefing on Sunday, October 25. Idris said 44 contacts were connected to the health facility where the patient was treated, while nine others had separate links to her. Those nine included three household members, three people who attended to her at Julius Berger Clinic, and three members of a team that collected samples. The household group includes the patient’s husband, driver and chef. Public health teams have listed and categorized the contacts by exposure level and are monitoring them. Idris said none had tested positive or developed symptoms by the time of the briefing. The NCDC said the number could change as investigations continue, and contacts are to be monitored for 21 days after their last possible exposure. The confirmed case is an imported infection in a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman living in Abuja. The patient tested positive on October 20, according to the account of Nigeria’s announcement in the reporting. Idris said her husband had tested...