Africa CDC Investigates Possible Ebola Contact Between Nigerian and Kenyan Patients in Uganda

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday that it is investigating a potential link between the first confirmed Ebola cases in Nigeria and Kenya. Health officials are examining whether the two patients came into contact with each other while at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

Nigeria identified its first Ebola case in more than ten years on Tuesday. The patient is a Ugandan-born woman who serves as the wife of a diplomat stationed in Abuja. She traveled to Uganda for a vacation in September and returned to Nigeria earlier this month. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, who leads emergency preparedness and response at the Africa CDC, stated that the woman is currently receiving treatment.

Authorities have placed 44 close contacts of the Nigerian patient in quarantine. Investigators are also working to determine the original source of her exposure. This case marks the first recorded instance of the virus in West Africa. Nigeria is the fourth country on the continent to report a case during the current outbreak, which began in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in May.

The ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the fastest spreading on record. At least 4,600 people have died from the virus, and approximately 9,700 have been infected. Uganda, which borders Congo, initially reported about 20 cases but was declared free of the virus in August. Kenya recorded its first case in early October, and eight additional cases have been confirmed there since.

The first Kenyan patient, who has since died, traveled from Congo to Kenya via Uganda. Health officials noted that both this patient and the Nigerian woman were present at Entebbe International Airport on the same day. Mankoula said the agency is looking into whether there was "some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport."

Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or through contaminated items. The disease causes severe fever and can be fatal. Individuals are generally not considered infectious until symptoms appear.