Nigeria has confirmed an Ebola infection in a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja, raising concerns about the possible spread of the deadly virus across West Africa.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate announced that laboratory examinations had verified the diagnosis.
The patient, reportedly a foreign national married to a diplomat, has been placed in isolation and is receiving treatment at a medical facility in the Nigerian capital.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), she began experiencing symptoms on October 7, four days after entering Nigeria.
Health officials have identified 44 people who had close contact with her and have initiated tracing procedures to prevent further transmission.
Nigeria is the first West African country to report an infection associated with the ongoing outbreak in East Africa. However, the nation successfully contained an earlier epidemic in 2014, which resulted in at least eight fatalities.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health has maintained that no active Ebola infections have been confirmed within its borders following the discharge of the last patient in August.
Authorities have encouraged citizens to stay alert, remain calm and observe proper hygiene, including frequent handwashing and the use of sanitiser.
The virus causes a severe illness that may initially present with fever and other symptoms before progressing to vomiting, diarrhoea and organ damage.
Although some sufferers experience internal or external bleeding, this does not occur in every case. Transmission happens through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood and vomit.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has experienced the most severe impact from the current epidemic, which began in May.
Figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control indicate that the outbreak has killed at least 4,600 people, with more than 9,500 infections documented.
The epidemic involves the Bundibugyo strain, a relatively uncommon variant for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available, although clinical trials are ongoing.
Uganda also recorded infections following the outbreak’s emergence in DR Congo, with at least two deaths reported before the country declared itself Ebola-free in August.
Following Nigeria’s latest announcement, Uganda’s Director General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, said preliminary findings suggested the woman had passed through his country without showing signs of illness.
In a statement published on X, Olaro explained that she had visited eastern DR Congo for business before travelling through Uganda in early October. Her symptoms reportedly emerged only after she reached Nigeria.
Ebola’s incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, meaning infected individuals may remain symptom-free for several weeks before becoming ill.
However, uncertainty remains over the woman’s movements and the precise location where she contracted the disease.
Olaro said Nigerian authorities had yet to provide a comprehensive travel itinerary and medical history to support investigations and identify additional individuals potentially exposed to the virus.
Minister Pate confirmed that the patient showed no symptoms upon entering Nigeria but noted that she had not verified travelling to DR Congo.
Speaking to the Nigerian Television Authority on Tuesday evening, he said officials believed Uganda was the likely location of exposure.
Authorities intend to examine her travel documents to establish her movements and identify people who may have come into contact with her. Residents have also been urged to cooperate with medical personnel conducting the investigations.
Meanwhile, Kenya has reported at least nine Ebola infections, prompting further international concern.
On Monday, the United States advised its citizens to reconsider travelling to the country because of health-related risks and increased its travel warning level.
Nigeria has intensified disease monitoring since the outbreak began.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has issued precautionary guidance for international travellers, warning that passengers arriving from countries experiencing active or relevant Ebola transmission may be required to complete health declaration forms.
Travellers have also been advised to monitor their health and seek immediate medical assistance if symptoms associated with the virus develop.
Nigeria’s successful containment of the 2014 epidemic, which claimed at least eight lives, provides a precedent for managing the latest case as health authorities work to prevent further infections.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong