WHO warns of complex Ebola outbreak as Nigeria reports first case

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of a “complex” Ebola outbreak across Africa after Nigeria reported an imported case of the Bundibugyo strain, marking the first reported case in West Africa in the current outbreak.

Nigeria announced the case on Tuesday after a woman, the wife of a diplomat with a history of travel to Uganda, tested positive for the virus.

The development makes Nigeria the fourth African country affected by the outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and has spread to other parts of the continent.

Kenya, in East Africa, has reported nine cases since October 6.

According to health authorities, the outbreak in DR Congo has killed more than 4,000 people out of over 9,000 confirmed cases since mid-May, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

“We are facing a more complex outbreak landscape. Nigeria has confirmed an imported case of Ebola virus disease,” Mohamed Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, said during an online media briefing on Thursday.

Pavel Ursu, the WHO representative in Nigeria, said the patient returned to Abuja on October 3 after staying in Uganda since September 16.

She travelled to Abuja aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight, transiting through Addis Ababa, according to information presented at an emergency meeting of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) on Wednesday.

Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told AFP on Thursday that the woman was originally from Uganda but lived in Abuja.

He also clarified that she had not travelled to DR Congo, contrary to earlier suggestions by Ugandan authorities.

Kaseya had warned that the outbreak posed “an extremely serious threat”, as the fatality rate in DR Congo approached 50 per cent.

Nigeria’s reported case has revived memories of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which affected several West African countries and killed more than 11,000 people between late 2013 and 2016.

Nigeria contained the virus during that outbreak, recording 19 infections and seven deaths.

The experience has provided a reference point for the country’s response to emerging public health threats.

Ebola spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death. The virus has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past five decades.

Uganda rejects link to Nigeria’s Ebola case

Uganda was officially declared Ebola-free by the WHO in August after recording 20 cases, almost all involving people who had travelled from DR Congo.

The Ugandan government has rejected suggestions that the patient in Nigeria contracted the virus in the country.

“It’s preposterous to suggest that just because someone was holidaying in Uganda, which by the way has no cases of Ebola, is reason enough to drag us into a conversation about Ebola in Nigeria,” Ugandan government spokesman Alan Kasujja told AFP.

“We’re trying as much as possible to make sure that Uganda is not branded as an Ebola country,” he added.

The WHO representative in Nigeria said the patient, who is receiving treatment at a private hospital, was showing “positive signs”.

However, an NCDC official said on Wednesday that she had experienced multiple organ failure, highlighting the severity of her condition.

Health authorities continue to monitor the situation as the outbreak raises concerns about the spread of Ebola across Africa.

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