Nigeria confirms first Ebola case amid concerns about continental spread

Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case in its capital, Abuja, after a woman who travelled from Uganda tested positive for the virus.

The case in the West African country comes amid an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and some cases in Kenya, raising concerns about a spread across the continent.

According to Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, 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.

Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities had begun trying to trace 44 people who came into contact with the patient.

“We are doing everything possible to contain this case by tracing all the contacts the individual may have had,” he said.

New case in Kenya

Earlier on Tuesday, Kenya confirmed ⁠its ninth case of Ebola.

A 24-year-old man, who was already being held in quarantine, is the latest to test positive, Kenya’s Ministry of Health said in a statement on Tuesday.

“He was isolated at the first sign of illness, tested and started on treatment immediately upon confirmation of his positive test result,” it said, adding he “was already in quarantine when he fell ill”.

The man was a close family member of Kenya’s first Ebola patient, who had travelled from the DRC, through Uganda and before arriving in Kenya and dying at a Nairobi hospital on ⁠October 5.

“All nine cases belong to one cluster, and as of ‌today there is no evidence of transmission outside this group,” Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Eight patients are stable and responding well to treatment, while 134 of 135 contacts have been traced and quarantined,” Amoth said.

Amoth said a milestone was in sight for the majority of the contacts in quarantine as they had remained well for the 21-day monitoring period and could return home from October 25.

It appealed to communities to welcome them back, saying they “pose no risk of infection”.

The ministry said no infections had occurred within quarantine facilities and that it was continuously monitoring infection-prevention measures to protect health workers.

Despite the nine infections, Kenya has not imposed restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings, with authorities saying the country remains open for business.

In the DRC, there have been more than 9,000 Ebola cases and 4,000 deaths since May.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says it’s the second-largest epidemic on record.

It has been difficult to contain because there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

Uganda had previously reported Ebola cases but was later declared free of the virus.