Nigeria Records Ebola Case in Woman Who Travelled From Uganda

Nigeria has recorded a case of Ebola in a female patient who travelled from Uganda in East Africa to Abuja, the capital of the West African country.

Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said the diagnosis had been confirmed by laboratory tests.

The patient, whom health sources told the BBC is not Nigerian and is the wife of a diplomat, is in isolation and receiving medical care after being admitted to a hospital in Abuja.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), she developed symptoms on Wednesday, 7 October, four days after arriving in Nigeria.

Health authorities have begun contact tracing to prevent further spread of the virus, with 44 close contacts of the woman identified.

Nigeria, the first West African country to report a case linked to the current Ebola crisis in East Africa, successfully contained a previous outbreak in 2014.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has stressed that there are currently no confirmed active Ebola cases in the country.

“We urge the public to remain calm, vigilant, and practise regular handwashing and sanitisation,” the ministry said.

Following the latest case in Nigeria, Uganda’s health ministry said preliminary information indicated that the patient had passed through Uganda without showing any symptoms.

In a statement on X, Uganda’s Director General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, said the woman had travelled to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) for business before passing through Uganda in early October.

He said her symptoms developed only after she arrived in Nigeria.

The incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to 21 days, meaning that people exposed to the virus may not develop symptoms for several weeks.

The woman’s exact travel history, which is crucial for tracing her contacts, remains unclear.

“The location of exposure remains under investigation. The government of Nigeria is yet to provide detailed information on her travel itinerary and clinical history, which will guide further investigations and any necessary contact tracing,” Olaro said.

Nigeria’s health minister confirmed that the woman had shown no symptoms when she arrived in the country. However, he said the patient had not confirmed travelling to DR Congo.

“We presume that it was likely picked up in Uganda,” Pate told the national broadcaster, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), on Tuesday evening.

Her travel documents will be used to trace her contacts, and the authorities have urged the public to cooperate with health officials conducting contact tracing.

The disease has also recently spread to Kenya, which has reported at least nine infections.

On Monday, the United States advised its citizens to reconsider travelling to Kenya because of health risks and raised the country’s travel advisory level.

Since the outbreak began, Nigeria has stepped up disease surveillance, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) issuing public health advice to travellers.

The agency says travellers arriving from countries with active or relevant Ebola transmission may be required to complete a health declaration form. Those arriving from other countries are currently exempt.

It has also urged travellers to remain vigilant and seek medical attention promptly if they develop symptoms of Ebola.

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