Ebola: US health authorities confirm outbreak in Nigeria contained

The Ebola outbreak in Nigeria is
almost over, after an ordeal that
began in July when a sick man
with United States-Liberian
citizenship flew there from Liberia,
US health authorities said
yesterday.

The virus’s incubation period is 21
days, and after two of these
periods have passed without any
new cases, officials can declare an
outbreak over. Therefore, since
there have been no new cases
since August 31, Nigeria should be
able to announce a formal end to
its outbreak on October 12, a
spokesman for the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
told AFP.

Meanwhile, the last three people
monitored due to potential
exposure to an Ebola patient will
end their 21 days of follow-up for
signs of symptoms later this
week.”The last three patient
contacts will exit their 21-day
follow-up on October 2 strongly
suggesting the outbreak in Nigeria
has been contained,” the CDC said
in a statement.

While Nigeria may be able to
declare victory over Ebola, its
outbreak was far smaller than in
nearby Guinea, Sierra Leone and
Liberia. The death toll from the
world’s worst Ebola epidemic has
claimed 3,091 lives in five West
African countries out of 6,574
infected, according to the World
Health Organization.

The outbreak in Nigeria began July
20 when Patrick Sawyer, a dual
US-Liberian citizen, boarded a
plane to Lagos, a densely
populated city of 21 million
people.