The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that two suspected cases of Ebola in Abuja have tested negative.
In a public health advisory released on Friday, NCDC Director General, Dr. Jide Idris, said the patients also tested negative for Marburg virus, but further tests are ongoing for other viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Lassa fever and dengue fever.
“The NCDC wishes to inform the public that two recent suspected cases of viral hemorrhagic fever in Abuja both tested negative for Ebola and Marburg viruses. We are currently testing samples for other viral hemorrhagic fevers like Lassa fever and dengue fever,” the agency said.
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One of the suspected cases was a traveller who had returned from Kigali, Rwanda. According to the NCDC, he immediately went to a hospital in Abuja when he felt unwell.
“His decision to report early, combined with the vigilance of the attending clinician and hospital team, ensured that our public health system was promptly activated and that the risk to the public was minimised. This responsible action is highly commendable and a good practice all Nigerians are urged to emulate,” the advisory explained.
The NCDC also praised health workers at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja and other partners, including the FCT Rapid Response Team, Port Health Services, and the National Reference Laboratory, for acting quickly.
“We deeply commend the clinicians and staff… whose high index of suspicion and immediate reporting triggered a rapid, coordinated response,” the agency said. “Together, their actions exemplify how vigilance and teamwork prevent potential public-health emergencies.”
The agency assured Nigerians that preventive measures are in place following Ebola outbreaks in other countries. These include strict surveillance at ports of entry, alerting isolation facilities, and stocking infection-prevention supplies.