Nigeria confirms first Ebola case

A Ugandan-born woman living in Abuja has tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. She is the wife of a Swiss diplomat stationed in Nigeria. This marks the first confirmed case in the country since 2014 and expands the outbreak to a fourth African nation.

The outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 15. It has since infected more than 9,500 people. Nearly half of those infected have died. The World Health Organization declared Uganda Ebola-free in August after reporting cases in May and June. The new Nigerian case complicates the containment efforts for what is the deadliest outbreak in DR Congo’s history.

The Swiss foreign ministry stated on Friday that the patient did not travel to DR Congo. Officials believe she contracted the virus while traveling with her husband in Uganda. This account conflicts with earlier claims from Ugandan authorities, who said the woman visited eastern DR Congo. A Ugandan government spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that Uganda had no active cases and would announce any new infections publicly.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a potential link to a patient in Kenya. Both the Nigerian patient and the Kenyan case traveled through Entebbe airport in Uganda on October 3. Dr Wessam Mankoula, the organization’s head of emergency preparedness, said officials are comparing the timing of that transit with the onset of the Nigerian patient’s symptoms to determine the source of infection.

Catherine Smallwood, a WHO Ebola incident manager, stated that WHO staff in DR Congo had no evidence the patient visited that country. However, Marion Koopmans, a virologist on the WHO emergency committee, described the airport theory as speculative. She noted that merely being present at a large airport is not a standard epidemiological link without proof of close contact.

Nigeria’s health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the case is contained. Contact tracing is ongoing to prevent community spread. He stated, "We are trying to contain it so it doesn't go out to the communities." Melaku Yirga of Prosper Global emphasized the need for rapid cross-border data sharing and resources for frontline workers as the outbreak continues to spread.

The Bundibugyo strain currently has no approved vaccine or treatment. The current outbreak is the second largest globally, following the 2014 to 2016 West Africa epidemic. That earlier crisis infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000.