This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Ebola confirmed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, linked to Lagos case
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The Minister of Health of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, has reported three confirmed cases of Ebola virus, according to WHO, and additional suspected cases are being investigated.
The index case in Port Harcourt, the country’s oil hub, is indirectly linked to the first case in Nigeria, an infected air traveler who arrived in Lagos, the country’s capital, on July 20. A close contact of the Lagos case fled the city when he was quarantined. He received treatment at a Port Harcourt hotel from Aug. 1 to 3. The treating physician developed symptoms of Ebola on Aug. 11 and died Aug. 22. He was confirmed as the index case in Port Harcourt.
After the physician’s symptom onset, he continued to treat patients until Aug. 13, when his symptoms worsened and he stayed home. He was hospitalized Aug. 16. Before hospitalization, he had numerous contact with the community. The community contacts continued after his hospitalization, when members of his church visited to perform a hands-on healing ritual.
The two additional confirmed cases include his wife and a patient at the hospital where he was treated. Staff at the hospital are being tested.
“Given these multiple high-risk exposure opportunities, the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Port Harcourt has the potential to grow larger and spread faster than the one in Lagos,” WHO officials wrote in a situation assessment.
According to WHO, health workers in Nigeria and WHO epidemiologists are monitoring more than 200 contacts. About 60 of these are considered high risk or very high risk. The highest-risk exposures were among family members and health care workers and patients where he was hospitalized.
A CDC-supported Ebola Emergency Operations Center was activated in the city, and a 26-bed isolation facility for Ebola cases is in place.
“Social mobilization efforts have been stepped up, initially targeting key community and religious leaders,” the WHO statement read. “However, civil unrest, security issues and public fear of Ebola create serious problems that could hamper response operations. Military escorts are needed for movements into the isolation and treatment center.”