Ebola case confirmed for Abuja as NCDC dey trace 53 contacts
- One 42-year-old woman wey arrive Abuja from Uganda test positive for Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on 20 October.
- NCDC talk say dem dey monitor 53 contacts and later dem evacuate di patient go Switzerland for care.
- Di case don bring back memory of 2014 outbreak and Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, wey die dey fight am.
Nigeria don record one imported Ebola case for Abuja, as di patient reportedly arrive from Uganda for east coast of Africa. Di woman, wey be 42-year-old, test positive for di Bundibugyo strain on 20 October, according to di Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
She dey isolation now and dem dey give her care. On 26 October, dem evacuate her and her husband go Switzerland for special treatment.
How di case take happen
According to NCDC, di woman return to Abuja from Uganda through Addis Ababa on 3 October. She start to get symptoms on 7 October and dem admit her for one private hospital on 11 October. Dem notify NCDC on 19 October, and lab confirmation come di next day.
Dat mean 12 days pass between her first symptoms and di alert to health authorities, and 17 days between her arrival and confirmation. For that window, anybody wey she come in contact with fit don expose.
By 25 October, NCDC talk say dem identify 53 contacts and dem dey monitor dem.
Ebola early signs — fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat — dey look like plenty everyday sickness, wey fit delay testing. Di Bundibugyo strain different from di Zaire strain wey hit Lagos for 2014.
Why e matter to Nigerians
For most people, di immediate risk still low: na single imported case, and dem dey follow up contacts. But di case na test of whether di surveillance, isolation and laboratory systems wey dem build during past outbreaks still dey work.
For 2014, one Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, fly enter Lagos with Ebola. Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh and her colleagues for First Consultants Medical Centre for Obalende keep am for isolation and alert authorities. She later test positive and die on 19 August 2014, aged 57.
Nigeria record 20 cases and eight deaths for that outbreak and dem declare am Ebola-free on 20 October 2014.
Health workers dey front line again. Their protection — gloves, gowns, training and insurance — depend on how seriously di system take this case after di headlines fade.
Nigerians suppose also dey careful with rumours. For 2014, false claims about bathing with salt water lead to injuries and deaths from too much salt consumption.
Wetin go happen next
Contact tracing and monitoring of di 53 identified contacts go continue. NCDC na di body to watch for updates, and anybody wey get fever or other symptoms after recent travel suppose report to health facility instead of self-medicate.
