Nigerian authorities confirmed an Ebola case in the capital city of Abuja on Tuesday. The health ministry stated that a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive for the virus.
The patient began displaying symptoms on 7 October. She was admitted to a private clinic in Abuja four days later, on 11 October, where medical personnel diagnosed her with Ebola.
Health Minister Muhammad Pate announced that officials had initiated tracing procedures for 44 individuals identified as contacts of the patient. He stated that authorities are doing everything possible to contain the case by tracing all contacts the individual may have had.
Uganda previously reported Ebola infections before declaring itself free of the virus. Nigeria now joins the growing list of nations reporting cases as the regional outbreak spreads.
Kenya confirmed its first case earlier this month and has recorded nine infections since then. Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, wrote on social media platform X that the continent faces an extremely serious threat with a fatality rate of nearly 50 percent.
He stated that the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has become the most geographically extensive in history, affecting multiple countries across three regions of Africa.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control stated two weeks ago that it was stepping up surveillance after the detection of Ebola in Kenya. The agency focused its preparedness efforts on early detection, isolation and referral, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, risk communication, and protection of health care workers.
Nigeria formed an Ebola task force in June following an outbreak in Congo that began in mid-May. Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, spoke when the task force was announced. He stated that authorities do not want a repeat of past events when a carrier entered the country and officials scrambled to respond, adding that structures were established to address any potential threat.
The spread of Ebola beyond Congo has raised concerns among health authorities regarding the rapid transmission of the rare Bundibugyo virus. The virus has infected more than 9,500 people and killed over 4,600 individuals.
The World Health Organization stated that the current outbreak is the fastest-spreading on record and is on track to exceed the deadliest regional outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, which claimed 11,000 lives. Nigeria recorded 20 cases during that previous period before the outbreak was declared over in the country after three months.
