44 Isolated in Abuja as Health Officials Check for Airport Contact

Nigerian health authorities placed 44 people in quarantine on Thursday after confirming the country’s first Ebola case in more than a decade. The patient is a Ugandan-born woman who serves as the wife of a diplomat posted in Abuja. She returned to Nigeria earlier this month following a vacation in Uganda in September. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, who leads emergency preparedness and response at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed the woman is currently receiving treatment.

The outbreak began in May in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It has become the fastest spreading on record, with roughly 9,700 infected and at least 4,600 dead. Neighboring Uganda reported about 20 cases initially but was declared free of the virus in August. Kenya recorded its first case in early October. Eight additional cases have been confirmed there since. The first Kenyan patient, who has died, traveled from Congo to Kenya by way of Uganda.

Investigators are focused on Entebbe International Airport in Uganda. Both the Nigerian patient and the deceased Kenyan patient were present at the airport on the same day. Mankoula stated the agency is investigating whether there was "some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport." This inquiry aims to determine how the virus moved between the two countries. Nigeria is the fourth African country to record a case in the current outbreak.

The location of the new case matters for the region. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the first in West Africa to report an infection. It lies farthest from the epicenter in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated items. Symptoms typically include severe fever. People are generally not considered infectious until those symptoms appear.

The Africa CDC discussed the inquiry at a press briefing on Thursday. Health officials are working to establish the exact point of exposure for the Nigerian patient. The isolation of the 44 contacts is part of the standard protocol to prevent further spread. The current outbreak continues to expand across East and Central Africa.

Nigerian health authorities announced the case on Tuesday. The woman had been in Uganda in September. Her return to Abuja triggered the contact tracing. The 44 isolated individuals include close contacts. The investigation into the airport link remains open. No other cases have been confirmed in West Africa at this time.