Nigeria has confirmed a case of Ebola in its capital, Abuja, after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive for the virus, the health ministry said.
The woman began showing symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to a hospital in Abuja four days later, where she was later diagnosed with Ebola. It is not known exactly when she arrived in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities had started tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the patient. “We are doing everything we can to contain this matter by tracing any contacts the individual may have had,” he said.
Uganda’s health ministry said the patient had only transited through Uganda and was a Nigerian who was on a business trip to Congo’s eastern region. Nigerian authorities have not disclosed his nationality.
“Travel through Uganda does not establish that the infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry insisted that Uganda had “no confirmed active cases of Ebola”.
Nigeria is the latest country to report a case of Ebola as the outbreak spreads across the region. Kenya confirmed its first case earlier this month and has since recorded nine infections. Uganda had previously reported cases of Ebola, but later declared itself free of the virus.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, said on X that “we are facing an extremely serious threat,” with a mortality rate of almost 50% of cases.
“This Ebola outbreak in Bundibugyo has already become the most geographically widespread in history, affecting several countries spread across three regions of Africa,” he said.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control said two weeks ago it was intensifying surveillance following the detection of Ebola in Kenya and strengthening the country’s preparedness for a possible outbreak.
“These efforts focused on early detection, isolation and referral, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, risk communication, and protection of health care workers,” the agency said.
Nigeria established an Ebola task force in June following the outbreak in Congo in mid-May.
The spread of Ebola beyond Congo has increased health authorities’ fears about the rapid transmission of the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has infected more than 9,500 people and killed more than 4,600.
The latest Ebola outbreak is the fastest on record and is on track to surpass the deadliest on record, the 11,000 people killed in the regional outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, the WHO said.
Gn world
