Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case during the current outbreak, the country's health ministry announced. The patient, a woman, arrived in Abuja after a business trip to the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The woman began showing symptoms on 7 October and was admitted to a hospital in Abuja four days later, where she was subsequently diagnosed with Ebola. It remains unclear exactly when she arrived in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.
Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities had identified 44 contacts of the patient and begun tracing them. "We are doing everything possible to contain this case by tracing all the contacts the individual may have had," he said.
Uganda's health ministry said the patient had only transited through the country and was not infected there. "Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Uganda has "no confirmed active Ebola cases."
Nigeria is the latest country to report a case as the outbreak continues to spread across the region. Kenya confirmed its first case earlier this month and has since recorded nine infections. Uganda had previously reported cases but later declared itself free of the virus.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said two weeks ago it had stepped up surveillance following the detection of Ebola in Kenya and was strengthening the country's preparedness. "These efforts have 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 had established an Ebola taskforce in June, following the outbreak in Congo in mid-May.
Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, warned that the situation was deteriorating rapidly. "We are facing an extremely serious threat," he said, noting a fatality rate of nearly 50 percent of cases. He also urged the international community to send funding, medical supplies and health workers.
"This Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has already become the most geographically extensive in history, affecting several countries spread across three regions of Africa," Kaseya said.
The Bundibugyo strain of the virus has infected more than 9,500 people and killed more than 4,600. The current outbreak is the fastest-spreading on record and is on track to surpass the deadliest outbreak in history, in which approximately 11,000 people were killed during a regional epidemic in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, according to the World Health Organization.
