A single confirmed Ebola case is now being tracked in Abuja, and the Federal Government has moved quickly, placing 44 people under surveillance as contact tracing gets underway in the Federal Capital Territory.
Officials have confirmed the case and say the response is active. The surveillance net covers everyone identified as having been in contact with the confirmed patient, a standard containment measure in situations like this.
For residents of Abuja, the news is unsettling but the response is real. Knowing that tracing has already begun and that dozens of contacts are being monitored is exactly the kind of early action that makes a difference in how these situations unfold.
Watch this space closely. The next 48 to 72 hours of contact tracing will tell us a great deal about how contained this situation actually is.
Originally published by BusinessDay.