Nigeria confirms first Ebola case in a decade
A Swiss diplomat's wife tested positive in Abuja, prompting a dispute over whether she caught the virus in Uganda or at an airport.
By Thiago Kovalenko ·
Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case in more than ten years. The patient is the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat stationed in Abuja. This development marks the fourth African country affected by the current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May.
The Swiss foreign ministry stated on Friday that the woman was believed to have contracted the virus while traveling with her husband in Uganda. The ministry noted that she had not traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak originated. This account conflicts with earlier reports from Ugandan officials who said the woman had visited the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Health officials are now investigating potential links between the Nigerian patient and recent cases in Kenya. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said both individuals passed through Uganda's Entebbe airport on October 3. He indicated that authorities are checking if they shared contact at that location. Catherine Smallwood, a WHO Ebola incident manager, noted that the timing of the Nigerian patient's symptoms must be compared to determine if the airport was the likely site of infection.
Experts remain skeptical of the airport theory. Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist on the WHO's Ebola emergency committee, described the connection as very speculative without evidence that the patients shared specific space. She argued that random presence at a large airport does not constitute a supported epidemiological link under current standards.
A Ugandan government spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the country had no active Ebola cases. The official added that Uganda would make the information public if that status changed. The World Health Organization declared Uganda Ebola-free in August after the country reported cases in May and June.
Nigeria's health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the case remains contained. He emphasized that contact tracing is continuing to prevent the virus from spreading to local communities. "We are trying to contain it so it doesn't go out to the communities," Pate said.
The outbreak is driven by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which no approved treatment or vaccine exists. First announced on May 15, the epidemic has infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them. It stands as the largest and deadliest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's history.
