Nigeria has confirmed an Ebola case in its capital, Abuja, after a woman who travelled through Uganda tested positive for the virus, raising concerns as an outbreak continues to spread across parts of Africa.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said laboratory tests confirmed the diagnosis. The woman developed symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on October 11, where she was diagnosed.
She is currently isolated and receiving medical care. Authorities have not disclosed when she arrived in Nigeria or confirmed her nationality.
Health officials have identified 44 contacts and begun tracing them to prevent further transmission. Nigeria has also strengthened disease surveillance, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control advising travellers to remain alert, seek prompt medical attention if symptoms develop and complete health declaration forms when required.
Uganda’s Health Ministry said the woman had only transited through the country during a business trip to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
It stressed that travel through Uganda did not establish where she was infected and said there were no confirmed active Ebola cases in the country.
Nigeria is the latest country affected by the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, which began in the DRC in May. Kenya has reported at least nine infections, while Uganda previously reported cases before declaring itself Ebola-free in August.
Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya described the outbreak as a serious threat, saying it had spread across three African regions and carried a fatality rate of nearly 50%.
Ebola spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause severe illness, including organ failure. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment, though trials are underway.
Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 that caused at least eight deaths.
