Nigeria Reports First Ebola Case in Over a Decade Linked to Uganda Travel

Nigeria has identified its first Ebola case in more than a decade, concerning a Swiss national married to a diplomat stationed in Abuja. According to the Swiss foreign ministry, the patient is believed to have contracted the virus during a trip with her husband to Uganda rather than visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the broader regional outbreak started.^1,3,5,8

Health bodies, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation, noted they have not verified any travel by the woman to DR Congo. This assessment contrasts with previous statements from Ugandan authorities indicating she had visited eastern DR Congo, raising fresh concerns over international surveillance and containment measures.^5,6,8

Investigators are actively examining a possible connection between the case in Nigeria and an earlier infection in Kenya. Officials report that both individuals transited through Uganda's Entebbe International Airport on 3 October, prompting inquiries into whether they used shared equipment or had physical contact. Africa CDC reiterated that patient identities will remain confidential during ongoing contact tracing.^4,7,9

Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya warned that the epidemic is not yet contained, noting that nearly 4,700 people have died in the outbreak, and urged leaders across the continent to avoid mutual finger-pointing. Concurrently, Kenya announced its second Ebola death, a 65-year-old woman and relative of the country's first victim who died in an isolation facility in Nairobi.^2,3,10,11,12