Nigeria’s first Ebola case detected after 13 days
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Businessday
Nigeria’s first Ebola case in more than a decade was confirmed only 13 days after symptoms appeared in a traveller who arrived in Abuja. The delay complicates contact tracing, as the outbreak has already reached four African countries, according to Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nigeria’s first Ebola patient was not tested until 19 October, 13 days after her symptoms began, officials quoted by Businessday said. The woman, the Ugandan wife of a Swiss diplomat, arrived in Abuja on 3 October after a two-week holiday in Uganda.
She fell ill three days after her arrival and was initially treated for malaria before visiting several health facilities. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said the delay complicated efforts to trace people she may have exposed.
Nigeria had identified 44 contacts at the time of the report, a number Kaseya said was expected to rise. The patient was reported to have been in contact with health workers, family members and friends. Nigerian authorities said she was not confirmed to have travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that infection in Uganda was presumed.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which the content says there is neither a vaccine nor a treatment. In the DRC, it has infected more than 9,500 people and killed more than 4,600. Nigeria announced on 21 October that it had activated contact tracing and isolation after confirming this case: contact tracing and isolation measures.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
