Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the outbreak in East Africa, involving a 42-year-old woman who travelled to Uganda.
The woman, originally from Uganda and based in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, fell ill three days after returning on October 3, according to Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya.
Nigeria’s Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said the patient had spent two and a half weeks in Kampala and made a two-hour stopover in Ethiopia’s capital on her return.
“She’s stable, she’s improving,” Pate told the BBC.
The woman tested positive for Ebola on Tuesday. Authorities have identified 44 people who had contact with her and are working to prevent further transmission.
“Not all of them have been in proximity. We cast the net wide so that we contain it as broadly as possible,” Pate said.
The case raises concerns about the potential international spread of the outbreak, prompting health authorities to focus on contact tracing and containment.
