ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has ruled out Ebola disease in two suspected cases in Adamawa State after laboratory tests returned negative results.
In a statement signed by its Director-General, Jide Idris, the NCDC said it had worked with the Adamawa State Government to investigate the cases, isolate the individuals and activate public health measures. The clarification followed an earlier announcement by the agency on Saturday that two suspected cases had been identified in the North-East, without initially disclosing the state involved.
The two patients, a 34-year-old pilot and his wife, a medical doctor, were admitted to the isolation centre of Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital in Yola on October 29. According to an internal memo from the Adamawa State Ministry of Health and Human Services, the state Public Health Emergency Operations Centre received the report at 6:45 a.m. on October 30 following a clinician’s notification.
The memo, signed by State Epidemiologist Jones Kadabiyu, said the patients had presented symptoms including fever, vomiting, fatigue, headache, cough and bleeding from the gums and nose. A preliminary report from Yola North Local Government Area indicated that the pilot developed a fever on October 13 and was treated for malaria before travelling to Kenya on October 14. He returned to Nigeria on October 25 and reportedly developed further symptoms, including nausea and vomiting.
His wife subsequently developed similar symptoms after caring for him at home. Health officials collected samples from both patients on October 30 and sent them to the National Reference Laboratory for testing.
The NCDC urged Nigerians to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information. It advised anyone who develops symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly after a possible exposure, to seek immediate medical attention.
Join the conversation