Get Guardian on GoogleEbola index patient remains positive
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed dengue fever in Sokoto and Zamfara states, and chikungunya in Sokoto, even as health authorities brace for the seasonal resurgence of other potentially deadly infections.
NCDC also disclosed that the index patient in the country’s Ebola outbreak remains positive and hospitalised in Switzerland, while 62 contacts were being monitored.
The development comes as Nigeria approaches the dry season, a period associated with increased risk of cerebrospinal meningitis and seasonal transmission of Lassa fever, prompting calls for strengthened disease surveillance, early detection and preparedness.
The agency urged Nigerians to remain vigilant against multiple infectious diseases, warning against assuming that every fever is malaria, as it disclosed that the country had recorded no additional Ebola case three weeks after confirming an imported infection caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
Director-General of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this in a national health security update/advisory yesterday, marking 21 days since Nigeria confirmed the imported Ebola case on October 20, 2026.
Idris said the agency had deployed National Rapid Response Teams, including entomologists from the National Arbovirus Research Centre, Enugu, to support affected states with case finding, laboratory investigations, clinical readiness, community engagement and mosquito control.
He confirmed that the teams were working with state authorities to address gaps identified during field investigations and monitor the evolving disease situation.
The NCDC chief explained that dengue and chikungunya could present with symptoms such as fever, headache, body pains and joint pains, making it important for Nigerians to seek medical assessment rather than automatically treating every fever as malaria.
Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral infection caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), characterised by fever, severe joint pain and other flu-like symptoms, while dengue is caused by the dengue virus and presents with high fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and skin rash, with severe cases potentially resulting in life-threatening complications.
He warned that dengue could become life-threatening when warning signs were missed, and advised people with persistent fever, particularly when accompanied by rash, vomiting or severe joint pains, to seek medical attention.
The DG gave the update on Ebola through the agency’s Director of Public Health, Dr Odianosan Ehiakhamen, during a Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) webinar entitled ‘Safeguarding Nigeria Together: The NIMR Ebola Webinar’.
Ehiakhamen said the patient’s viral load appeared to be declining, as indicated by rising cycle threshold (Ct) values, although the test results remained positive. He added that the patient’s spouse tested negative and was being accommodated separately.
Six contacts, he added, had been discharged from quarantine, while the agency was targeting December 7 for a possible declaration of the end of the outbreak, provided no new case emerged and all monitoring requirements were met.
The NCDC official acknowledged delays in identifying the infection, noting that the patient had initially been treated for malaria and other febrile illnesses.
He identified early detection, healthcare workers’ awareness, the availability of isolation facilities and coordination between federal and state authorities as areas requiring improvement.
Meanwhile, a Professor of Community Medicine at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Lolade Wright, warned that Nigeria risked further transmission without dedicated funding for infection prevention and control (IPC).
Wright called for dedicated IPC budget lines at the federal and state levels, rather than continued reliance on emergency funding during outbreaks.
