The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has dismissed rumours linking the Ebola outbreak to a possible postponement of elections, insisting that there is currently no confirmed case of the disease in Nigeria.
The Director-General of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, made this known on Tuesday during a virtual capacity-building workshop for journalists on effective Ebola reporting in Lagos.
Idris warned that misinformation about the outbreak could undermine public health efforts, urging Nigerians and media organisations to rely on verified information from relevant authorities.
He, however, cautioned against interpreting the absence of a confirmed case as an indication that Nigeria had been declared Ebola-free, stressing that surveillance and contact tracing must continue.
“The fact that we currently have no confirmed case does not mean we should declare Nigeria Ebola-free.
“We must continue surveillance and ensure that all contacts are properly monitored,” he said.
The NCDC chief disclosed that 54 primary contacts linked to a woman whose Ebola infection was confirmed on October 20 remained under daily surveillance.
According to him, three contacts who developed symptoms last week were tested for the disease, but all returned negative results.
He explained that the woman was evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 alongside her husband at the request and expense of the Swiss government.
The patient had returned to Abuja from Uganda before her infection was confirmed. Idris said she had improved clinically before leaving Nigeria.
He also dismissed suggestions that the evacuation indicated a lack of confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system, noting that the patient’s condition had improved while she was receiving treatment.
The NCDC said contact tracing and monitoring would continue to establish whether there had been any further transmission of the disease.
It urged the public to avoid spreading unverified reports capable of creating unnecessary panic and to follow official updates as health authorities continue their response to the outbreak.
