Nigeria’s Health Ministry confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive for the virus, according to reporting by the Associated Press published by NPR.
What officials say
The Health Ministry said the patient began showing symptoms on Oct. 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on Oct. 11, where she was later diagnosed with Ebola.
Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities had begun tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the patient. “We are doing everything possible to contain this case by tracing all the contacts the individual may have had,” Pate said, per AP/NPR.
The regional picture
AP/NPR reported that Uganda had previously recorded Ebola cases but later declared itself free of the virus. Kenya confirmed its first case earlier this month and has since recorded nine infections, according to the same report.
Preparedness steps in Nigeria
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said two weeks ago it was stepping up surveillance following the detection of Ebola in Kenya and strengthening preparedness for a potential outbreak. “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, as reported by AP/NPR.
AP/NPR also reported that Nigeria established an Ebola task force in June following the outbreak in Congo in mid-May. “We do not want a repeat of what happened during the last outbreak when a carrier entered the country, and everyone was scrambling to respond,” Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, said at the time. “We have covered a lot of ground and established structures to address any potential threat.”
Warnings from health agencies
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, said on X that “we are facing an extremely serious threat,” citing a fatality rate of nearly 50% of cases. He added that “this Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has already become the most geographically extensive in history, affecting several countries spread across three regions of Africa.”
AP/NPR reported that the spread of Ebola beyond Congo has heightened fears among health authorities about rapid transmission of the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has infected more than 9,000 people and killed more than 4,300 people. The World Health Organization has said the current outbreak is the fastest-spreading on record and is on track to exceed the deadliest on record, West Africa’s 2014–2016 outbreak, which killed 11,000 people. Nigeria was among the countries affected then, recording 20 cases before that outbreak was declared over in the country after three months, according to AP/NPR.
