Nigeria records its first Ebola case, in capital Abuja

Nigeria records its first Ebola case in Abuja, as the virus spreads across Africa.

The full report

Nigeria has reported its first known case of Ebola during Africa's latest outbreak originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The patient, a woman who had recently flown to Abuja from Uganda, tested positive for the virus. The outbreak is thought to have started in the east of the DRC, not far from the Ugandan border, with Uganda the second country to record infections. It also recently spread to Kenya in limited numbers, with nine known cases recorded this month. The overwhelming majority of known cases, however, remain confined to the DRC, particularly its eastern provinces.

Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said that the patient was a woman who had "recently arrived on an international flight from Uganda." She first began to exhibit symptoms on October 7, and was admitted to a private Abuja hospital on October 11, before being tested and diagnosed with Ebola. Authorities have already begun tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the patient.

Nigeria's Center for Disease Control said two weeks ago that it was stepping up surveillance after the first recorded cases in Kenya, saying it was improving the country's preparedness for a possible outbreak. The agency said it was focusing on early detection, isolation and referral, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, risk communication and protection of healthcare workers.

The current outbreak, involving a lesser-known strain, the Bundibugyo Ebolavirus, has led to more than 9,000 confirmed cases and more than 4,300 deaths, a fatality rate of almost 50%. Almost all the cases and deaths are confined to the DRC, even as more countries become involved. The first patient in Kenya died, and authorities believe the other eight known cases are all part of a cluster beginning with him. They say there's no sign of a spread beyond his contacts.