Nigeria confirms Ebola case linked to East Africa
A female patient is in isolation and receiving medical care after being admitted to a hospital in Abuja.
Nigeria confirms Ebola case linked to East Africa
Nigeria has confirmed a case of Ebola in a female patient who travelled from Uganda in East Africa to Abuja, the capital of the West African country.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said laboratory tests had confirmed the diagnosis.
The patient is isolated and receiving medical treatment after being admitted to a hospital in Abuja.
Health officials have started contact tracing to stop any further spread, and 44 close contacts of the woman have been identified.
Nigeria, the first West African country to report a case tied to the current Ebola crisis in East Africa, successfully contained a previous outbreak in 2014.
Ebola is a rare but deadly disease, external, caused by a virus. As it advances, vomiting and diarrhoea can develop, and it may lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding.
The disease spreads from person to person through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.
The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which began in May, has caused at least 4,600 deaths, with more than 9,500 cases recorded, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, external.
It was caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which is relatively rare, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment, although trials are under way.
Soon after the outbreak was announced, it was also reported in Uganda, where at least two people died. Uganda declared itself free of the disease in August after its last patient was discharged.
The disease has also spread to Kenya, which has reported at least nine infections.
On Monday, the US advised its citizens to reconsider travel to Kenya because of health risks and raised its travel advisory level for the country.
Since the outbreak, Nigeria has increased disease surveillance, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has issued public health advice to travellers.
The agency says travellers from countries with active or relevant Ebola transmission may be required to fill out a health declaration form. Those arriving from other countries are currently exempt.
It has also urged travellers to stay alert and seek medical attention quickly if they develop symptoms of Ebola.
In 2014, Nigeria managed to defeat an Ebola outbreak that caused at least eight deaths.