Nigeria Confirms Imported Ebola Case; Identifies 44 Contacts of Infected Patient

The Federal Government of  Nigeria has confirmed a case of Ebola in its capital, Abuja, after a female patient who travelled from Uganda tested positive for the deadly viral disease.

The country’s Health Minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, broke the news on Tuesday, October 20, stating that laboratory tests had confirmed the infection. According to him, the woman began showing symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on October 11, before being diagnosed with Ebola.

He further noted that the patient has been placed in isolation at a hospital in Abuja, where she is receiving medical treatment. Health authorities have also initiated contact tracing to identify people who may have come into contact with her and prevent further transmission.

The minister also disclosed that 44 close contacts of the patient had already been identified, with efforts ongoing to trace additional contacts.

“She is in isolation, and ​she is receiving quality medical care. Contact tracing has been ​conducted, and it’s under way as we speak, with 44 ⁠contacts already identified,” Ali Pate told public broadcaster NTA

The development has raised concerns over the potential spread of the disease, particularly as several East African countries have reported infections linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak.

Nigeria has since strengthened its disease surveillance measures, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control issuing health guidance to travellers arriving from countries affected by Ebola.

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Travellers from countries with active or relevant transmission may be required to complete health declaration forms, while authorities have urged anyone who develops symptoms after travelling from an affected area to seek medical attention promptly.

Ebola is a severe viral disease that can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, internal or external bleeding. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials.

Nigeria’s latest case comes years after the country successfully contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014, which resulted in at least eight deaths.

Meanwhile, the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, caused by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, has resulted in thousands of reported infections and deaths. Uganda also recorded cases linked to the outbreak before declaring itself free of the disease in August, following the discharge of its last patient.

The Bundibugyo species is relatively rare, and no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available for it, although clinical trials are underway.

Health authorities are continuing surveillance and contact-tracing efforts as they work to contain the situation in Nigeria.