Nigeria confirms first Ebola case since 2014 as officials debate where infection occurred

An Ebola outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May has now reached four African countries, complicating efforts to control the spread of the rare Bundibugyo virus. Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola in more than a decade on Friday, marking the latest expansion of an epidemic that has already claimed nearly half of its victims.

More than 9,500 people have been infected by this outbreak, making it the largest and deadliest in DR Congo history. It ranks as the second largest globally, trailing only the 2014 to 2016 west Africa epidemic which affected more than 28,600 people. The current strain, known as Bundibugyo, has no approved treatment or vaccine, which raises concerns about the speed of transmission in densely populated areas.

The patient is the wife of a Swiss diplomat stationed in Abuja. The Swiss foreign ministry stated that she is of Ugandan origin and did not travel to DR Congo. The ministry believes she contracted the virus while traveling with her husband in Uganda. This account conflicts with earlier reports from Ugandan officials who said the woman had visited eastern DR Congo.

Uganda declared itself Ebola-free in August after reporting cases in May and June. A government spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the country currently has no active cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) is continuing to investigate the source of the Nigerian infection. Catherine Smallwood, a WHO incident manager, noted that staff in DR Congo had no record of the patient visiting that country.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is examining a possible link to a patient in Kenya. Both individuals passed through Uganda's Entebbe airport on 3 October. Dr Wessam Mankoula, the organization's head of emergency preparedness, said officials must compare the timing of their travels with the onset of the Nigerian patient's symptoms. Marion Koopmans, a member of the WHO emergency committee, described the airport link as very speculative without evidence of shared space that explains the transmission.

Nigeria's health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the case is contained and contact tracing is ongoing. He emphasized the goal of preventing the virus from moving into local communities. Melaku Yirga, vice-president for Africa at Prosper Global, stated that the confirmed cases in Kenya and Nigeria highlight the need for rapid cross-border information sharing. He urged for better resources for frontline health workers to respond quickly to such outbreaks.