9,500 Infected: Nigeria Confirms First Ebola Case Since 2014

Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola infection in over a decade, adding the country to a list of four African nations now affected by the ongoing outbreak. The patient is the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat stationed in Abuja. Health officials are currently working to trace her contacts while debating exactly where she contracted the virus.

The outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May. It subsequently spread to Uganda, where cases were reported in May and June. The World Health Organization declared Uganda free of Ebola in August. The disease then appeared in Kenya before reaching Nigeria this month. This sequence marks the most geographically widespread Ebola epidemic on record.

The Swiss foreign ministry stated on Friday that the patient did not travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the ministry, she was believed to have caught the virus while traveling with her husband in Uganda. This account conflicts with earlier statements from Ugandan authorities, who said the woman had visited the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A Ugandan government spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the country currently has no active Ebola cases.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a potential link to a Kenyan case. Both the Nigerian patient and the Kenyan patient passed through Uganda’s Entebbe airport on October 3. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, the organization’s head of emergency preparedness, said investigators are comparing the timing of the airport transit with the onset of the Nigerian patient’s symptoms to determine the likely point of infection.

Marion Koopmans, a member of the WHO Ebola emergency committee, expressed skepticism about the airport theory. She described the link as "very speculative" without evidence that the two individuals shared space in a way that would explain transmission. She noted that random presence at a large airport is not a supported epidemiological link under current standards.

Catherine Smallwood, a WHO Ebola incident manager, said via video link from Geneva that WHO staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo have no information indicating the patient traveled to that country. Investigations into the source of the infection are continuing. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved treatment or vaccine.

Nigeria’s health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the case remains contained and contact tracing is ongoing. He stated, "We are trying to contain it so it doesn't go out to the communities." The outbreak has infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them since it began on May 15.