Nigeria confirms first Ebola case as outbreak reaches West Africa
Nigeria confirmed Ebola in a woman in Abuja who had travelled from Uganda; she is in isolation after being admitted to a private hospital. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said authorities had identified 44 contacts and begun tracing them. Uganda said the woman had transited through the country, but that this did not establish where she was infected; the location of exposure remains under investigation.
Bottom line — Nigeria’s 44 identified contacts are being traced as authorities work to contain the country’s first case in this outbreak.
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The woman began showing symptoms on 7 October and was admitted to hospital on 11 October, according to The Guardian and DW.
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Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control had stepped up surveillance and preparedness after Ebola cases were reported in Kenya, according to the agency.
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Nigeria’s health minister said the country had successfully contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014.
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Uganda said it had no confirmed active Ebola cases and that the patient’s transit through the country did not establish where she was infected.
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The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain and began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, according to the BBC.
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Kenya has reported nine cases in the outbreak, with most linked to its first patient, according to France 24.