The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has urged the Ebola patient currently receiving treatment in Nigeria to provide health authorities with detailed information about her recent movements and possible contacts, as officials work to determine where she may have contracted the virus.
Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya said the information was important for Nigeria, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to coordinate their response and prevent unnecessary tensions between the countries.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Kaseya said the patient, who was born in Uganda, travelled there before returning to Abuja with her husband on October 3.
He said authorities need to establish whether she travelled to the DRC, moved outside Uganda’s capital Kampala, or came into contact with anyone who had recently arrived from the DRC.
“These are the pieces of information we are looking for,” Kaseya said, stressing that accurate travel and exposure information would help health authorities trace possible contacts and understand how the infection was acquired.
Nigeria confirmed an imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20. The World Health Organization said the patient developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and tested positive on October 20. She is currently isolated and receiving medical care.
At least 44 contacts had been identified and were being monitored, according to Nigerian health authorities. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its incident management system, while surveillance and infection prevention measures have been strengthened.
Kaseya said Africa was better prepared to respond to public health emergencies and urged people not to panic. However, he acknowledged concerns surrounding the Bundibugyo strain, for which vaccine development and clinical trials remain an important part of the regional response.
The current outbreak began in the DRC and has spread across several countries. Africa CDC said on October 21 that cases had been detected in the DRC, Kenya and Nigeria, highlighting the growing importance of cross border coordination.
Uganda has rejected claims that it is currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak, saying the location where the Nigerian patient became infected remains under investigation. Ugandan authorities have also said that travel through the country alone does not establish where exposure occurred.
Health authorities are continuing contact tracing, surveillance and investigations as they work to prevent further transmission.
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