Nigeria Confirms Ebola Case in Abuja: What to Know About the Patient and Outbreak

Nigeria has confirmed an Ebola case in its capital, Abuja, after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive, the country's Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Authorities have begun tracing 44 people identified as her contacts, according to the AP, NPR and DW.

The case adds Nigeria to the list of countries touched by the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, which began in Congo and has already infected more than 9,000 people. Here is what is known so far.

What do officials say about the patient in Abuja?

The woman began showing symptoms on Oct. 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on Oct. 11, where she was diagnosed with Ebola, the AP reported. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said she had recently arrived on an international flight from Uganda, according to DW.

Pate said the government is trying to find everyone she may have been in contact with. “We are doing everything possible to contain this case,” he said, as quoted by the AP. Her condition and the hospital's name were not disclosed in the sources.

How did Nigeria prepare?

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said two weeks ago that it was stepping up surveillance after Ebola was detected in Kenya. The agency said its work covered early detection, isolation and referral of patients, laboratory diagnosis, infection control, contact tracing, public communication and protection of health workers.

Nigeria set up an Ebola task force in June, after the outbreak in Congo in mid-May. When it was announced, Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, said the country did not want a repeat of the last outbreak, when a carrier entered and officials scrambled to respond. He said the country had since built structures to deal with potential threats.

How big is the outbreak, and where has it spread?

The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, a rare and lesser-known form of the virus. It has caused more than 9,000 confirmed cases and more than 4,300 deaths, a fatality rate of almost 50%, according to DW. The AP said the outbreak is the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record.

DW reported that it is thought to have started in eastern Congo, near the Ugandan border, and that almost all cases and deaths remain in Congo. Uganda was the second country to record infections, with 20 cases and two deaths earlier this year. The World Health Organization declared it Ebola-free in late August, after 42 days with no confirmed case, DW said. DW added that the Nigerian patient's travel history could put that status back in question.

Kenya confirmed its first case earlier this month. DW reported that the first patient died and that authorities believe the other eight known cases form a cluster beginning with him, with no sign of spread beyond his contacts. Reports differ slightly on how the nine Kenyan infections are counted: the AP described nine infections since the first case, while DW said nine cases were recorded this month.

Why does it matter beyond Nigeria?

Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, wrote on X that the continent faces an “extremely serious threat.” He said the outbreak has become the most geographically extensive in history, affecting several countries across three regions of Africa.

For readers, the main point is that the virus has now been confirmed in a major African capital through international travel. DW noted that Ebola does not spread as readily as highly contagious viruses such as flu or COVID, though it is far more dangerous to those who catch it. The sources do not report any travel restrictions or guidance for travelers.

How does this compare with the 2014-16 epidemic?

The AP and NPR said the current outbreak is on track to exceed the deadliest on record, the West African epidemic of 2014 to 2016, which killed 11,000 people, according to the WHO. DW put that toll at around 11,300 deaths from around 28,500 cases over around 30 months.

DW said this outbreak was first declared in May and is already the second-largest on record, though researchers believe it began in small numbers several months earlier. It noted that modestly improved testing may also contribute to the higher case counts.

Nigeria was one of the countries affected in 2014-16, recording 20 cases before it was declared over there after three months, the AP reported.

What happens next?

Nigerian health authorities are working through the list of 44 contacts. The sources do not give a timeline for results or say whether more cases have been identified.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News, DW, NPR