Nigeria records first Ebola case as officials probe Uganda airport link
Nigeria confirms its first Ebola case in the current outbreak; 44 contacts are quarantined as officials investigate a possible Uganda airport crossing with Kenya's first patient.
The story in focus
NPR reports Nigeria recorded its first Ebola case in the current outbreak, a Ugandan-born woman being treated with 44 close contacts quarantined. Officials are investigating whether she crossed paths at Uganda's Entebbe airport with Kenya's first patient, who has since died.
- Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in the current outbreak on Tuesday, according to NPR.
- The patient is the Ugandan-born wife of a diplomat in Abuja who vacationed in Uganda in September.
- Africa CDC's Dr. Wessam Mankoula said 44 close contacts have been quarantined.
- Congo's outbreak, which began in May in the east, has caused at least 4,600 deaths and about 9,700 infections.
- Nigeria is the fourth African country and the first in West Africa to record a case in this outbreak.
Case and contacts
NPR reports Nigeria announced its first Ebola case in more than a decade on Tuesday. The patient is the Ugandan-born wife of a diplomat based in Abuja who vacationed in Uganda in September and returned to Nigeria earlier this month.
She is being treated, and 44 people she had close contact with have been quarantined, Dr. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a press briefing on Thursday. Authorities are investigating the source of her exposure.
Airport investigation
Officials are investigating whether the Nigerian patient crossed paths with Kenya's first Ebola patient at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, as both were there on the same day. The Kenyan patient, who has since died, traveled from Congo to Kenya via Uganda.
Mankoula said the center was probing whether there had been interaction between the two cases at the airport. Kenya recorded its first case in early October and has since confirmed eight other cases, NPR reports.
Outbreak spread
Congo's current outbreak began in May in the country's east and has become the fastest spreading on record, with at least 4,600 deaths and about 9,700 infections, according to NPR. Neighboring Uganda initially recorded about 20 cases but was declared Ebola-free in August.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is the fourth on the continent to record a case during this outbreak, the first in West Africa and the furthest from the epicenter in Congo.
How many close contacts of Nigeria's first Ebola patient are quarantined?
Forty-four close contacts have been quarantined, according to Dr. Wessam Mankoula of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as reported by NPR.
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