Uganda says the woman diagnosed with Ebola in Abuja is a Nigerian national who travelled through the East African country, insisting it has no confirmed active cases of the disease.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said the woman travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for business before transiting through Uganda in early October.
The ministry, through its Director General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, said she showed no symptoms while in Uganda but became ill after arriving in Nigeria.
“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here.
"The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the statement said.
It added that Uganda had “NO confirmed active Ebola cases” at the time of the statement.
The ministry also said Nigeria had yet to provide detailed information about the woman’s travel itinerary and clinical history to support further investigations and contact tracing.
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed the country’s first Ebola case in the current outbreak on Tuesday after laboratory tests came back positive.
Pate said the woman had received treatment at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory before her diagnosis was confirmed.
“She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care,” he said.
The minister said health authorities had identified 44 close contacts for monitoring to help prevent further transmission.
Uganda said it would strengthen screening and public health measures at its entry points, while urging residents to remain calm, stay vigilant and practise regular handwashing and sanitising.
The case comes amid an Ebola outbreak linked to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with infections also reported in other African countries, including Kenya.
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