ABUJA/KAMPALA – The Nigerian government on Tuesday confirmed the first Ebola case of the current outbreak in the country's capital, Abuja, following laboratory tests.
Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, told the media that a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda is now in isolation and receiving medical care.
Pate described the case as "contained", saying public health measures had been activated to prevent the virus from spreading.
The minister said the index case was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja, where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed. Contact tracing has commenced, with 44 close contacts identified so far, he said, adding that surveillance had also been intensified.
According to him, public health teams have begun identifying and monitoring people who may have been exposed, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts.
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Pate urged public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to remain on high alert, maintain a high index of suspicion, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, and observe strict infection prevention and control measures.
He also advised healthcare facilities to immediately report suspected cases to public health authorities and urged citizens to avoid contact with the bodily fluids of anyone suspected of having the virus and watch for symptoms.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood, secretions, other bodily fluids or organs of infected persons or animals. Its incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
Symptoms may include fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes. In severe cases, the disease can cause impaired kidney and liver function as well as internal and external bleeding.
Uganda: No Ebola cases reported
Meanwhile, Uganda has reported no confirmed active Ebola cases following reports that a Nigerian woman who tested positive for the disease had transited through the country earlier this month, the Ministry of Health said in a statement issued late Tuesday.
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The Nigerian woman had traveled to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for business before passing through Uganda in early October, according to the statement. She reportedly showed no symptoms while in Uganda but developed them after arriving in Nigeria.
"Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here," the ministry said, adding that the location where the woman was exposed to the virus remained under investigation.
The ministry said Nigerian authorities had yet to provide detailed information about the woman's travel itinerary and clinical history to support further investigations and any necessary contact tracing.
