Nigeria confirms Ebola case as officials argue over origin

A Ugandan-born woman living in Abuja has tested positive for Ebola, marking the first confirmed case in Nigeria in over a decade. Her infection forces health officials to reconsider how the virus is moving across borders, as the outbreak expands into a fourth African country.

The Swiss foreign ministry announced on Friday that the patient is the wife of a Swiss diplomat. According to Bern, she did not travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the epidemic began. The ministry stated she likely contracted the virus while traveling with her husband in Uganda. This account contradicts earlier claims from Ugandan authorities, who said the woman visited eastern DRC.

Uganda declared itself Ebola-free in August after reporting cases in May and June. A Ugandan government spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the country had no active cases and would announce any new findings publicly. The World Health Organization is continuing to investigate the source of the Nigerian infection.

Catherine Smallwood, a WHO Ebola incident manager in the DRC, stated that staff in the DRC have no information suggesting the patient traveled there. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a potential link to a patient in Kenya. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, the organization’s head of emergency preparedness, noted that both individuals passed through Entebbe airport in Uganda on 3 October.

Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist on the WHO emergency committee, questioned the airport theory. She described the link as very speculative without evidence of shared space in a manner that explains transmission. She added that random presence at a large airport does not meet standard epidemiological criteria for a supported link.

Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigeria’s health minister, said the case remains contained and contact tracing is ongoing. "We are trying to contain it so it doesn't go out to the communities," he said. Melaku Yirga, vice-president for Africa at Prosper Global, emphasized the need for speed and cross-border information sharing to support frontline health workers.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved treatment or vaccine. First announced on 15 May, the epidemic has infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them. It is the largest outbreak in DRC history and the second largest globally, behind the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic that infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000.