The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday said that it is aware of a patient in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria, suspected to have contracted Coronavirus (COVID-19).
This is the first case of the disease reported outside the two Southwest States of Lagos and Ogun.
The Nigerian health agency said on its Twitter handle @NCDCgov that it was one of several alerts it receives daily at the National COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre, noting that “the patient is in isolation, sample collected and results expected tomorrow (Monday).”
Sources said that the NCDC was notified of the suspected case by the Enugu State Government after a woman who had just returned from the United Kingdom reported at the hospital after feeling sick.
Permanent Secretary, Enugu State Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi, said that the sample from the suspected case had been sent for further investigations.
Agujiobi said that the suspected case had been in the United Kingdom in the last five months and came into Enugu through Owerri on March 11 to see her son.
Mr. Agujiobi added that the suspected case was being closely monitored and the results awaited for further action by the government.
This is the third case reported in Nigeria since the Coronavirus broke out in China in December, 2019.
The index case is in an Italian businessman who had flown into the country for business. The second case, which was asymptomatic, was one of the people who had contacts with the Italian.
The NCDC noted that apart from the three cases, no other case has since been confirmed in Nigeria even though a total of 44 people have so far been screened in seven States of the federation, including Edo, FCT, Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers and Yobe.
Out of 44, 41 tested negative and have been ruled out. But the result is pending for one and the other, the contact of the index case, previously positive but now negative.
The second confirmed case who was a contact of the index case, has tested negative twice, cleared of the virus and discharged to go home.
The result of the third case in Enugu is expected to be ready by Monday.