Ebola: Africa CDC assures patient confidentiality amid contact tracing

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has assured the public that patients’ personal information will remain confidential during ongoing Ebola containment operations, as authorities work to trace people who may have been exposed to the disease.

Wessam Mankoula, an epidemiologist and the agency’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, gave the assurance during a virtual press briefing on Thursday. He explained that patients’ information was shared only with authorised investigators conducting contact tracing.

He said the information would not be disclosed publicly, emphasising the importance of protecting patients’ privacy during outbreak investigations.

The assurance follows the Nigerian government’s confirmation on Tuesday of an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, is receiving medical care in isolation at a private hospital in the FCT.

Contact tracing

Mr Mankoula said Nigeria’s National Reference Laboratory confirmed that the imported case involved the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

He said 44 high-risk contacts had been identified, and the government was working to identify others who might have been exposed.

Contact tracing involves identifying and monitoring people who may have been in contact with an infected person, so possible infections can be detected early and further transmission limited.

Mr Mankoula also said investigators were examining a possible link between the Nigerian case and a case in Kenya. Both individuals had travelled through Entebbe International Airport in Uganda on 3 October.

He stressed that a connection remained under investigation and had not been established.

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Regional response

Mr Mankoula said Africa CDC was working with partners, including the WHO, to strengthen disease surveillance and support preparedness measures. These included providing testing supplies at border areas near the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Nigeria’s case comes amid an Ebola outbreak in the DRC involving the Bundibugyo virus.

According to figures attributed to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the DRC had recorded 9,552 confirmed cases and 4,602 related deaths as of 19 October, based on data up to 18 October.

The outbreak has affected 66 of the country’s 178 health zones across eight provinces, with Ituri the most affected province.

These developments have heightened concerns about Ebola’s cross-border spread and the need for countries to strengthen surveillance, laboratory testing and coordination to identify suspected cases promptly.

Africa CDC continues to work with national health authorities and international partners to support outbreak response efforts and limit further transmission.