— Kaseya seeks travel history to trace source of infection
The Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Jean Kaseya, has urged the woman diagnosed with Ebola in Nigeria to disclose her full travel history, saying she was born in Uganda but the source of her infection remains unknown.
Kaseya made the appeal during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, saying the woman had travelled to Uganda, where she spent several days before her husband joined her.
He said the couple returned to Abuja on October 3, adding that authorities were investigating whether she contracted the virus in Uganda or another location.
The Federal Government confirmed Nigeria’s first case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease on October 20, after laboratory tests detected the virus in a woman who had recently arrived in the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the patient had been admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, where she received treatment before the diagnosis was confirmed.
On October 21, Olajumoke Babatunde, Director of Public Health Laboratory Services at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), disclosed that the patient was a diplomat whose condition had deteriorated to multi-organ failure.
Kaseya said authorities needed to establish whether the woman had travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), had contact with anyone from the country or visited areas outside Kampala during her stay in Uganda.
“I am talking to Ugandan, DRC and Nigerian authorities, that the person we know today without any doubt, that this is a Ugandan-born person who went to Uganda and she was there for some days and the husband flew to join her in Uganda,” he said.
He appealed to the patient to cooperate with health authorities, saying her account of her movements could help investigators identify where the infection occurred.
“What we want is collaboration from this lady. She has to tell us, to disclose to the authorities; I need this information, Nigeria needs this information because we need also to support Uganda,” Kaseya said.
He said the investigation was necessary to establish whether transmission occurred in Uganda or the virus was acquired elsewhere.
“What we know is that the lady came from Uganda, but what we don’t know is whether it is a transmission from Uganda, Kampala, or a transmission that came from another place,” he said.
Uganda disputes link to outbreak
Uganda’s Ministry of Health had reportedly described the patient as Nigerian, saying she travelled to eastern DRC for business before transiting through Uganda in early October.
Charles Olaro, Uganda’s Director-General of Health Services, said the woman did not develop symptoms while in Uganda but became ill after arriving in Nigeria.
Ugandan authorities also said the country had no confirmed active Ebola cases at the time of their statement, insisting that the patient’s passage through Uganda did not establish where she contracted the virus.
“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” Olaro said.
The conflicting accounts underscore the need for further epidemiological investigations to establish the patient’s movements, possible exposure and the source of infection.
Africa CDC warns against blame
Kaseya urged African leaders to avoid politicising the outbreak or blaming individual countries, warning that accusations and isolation could undermine efforts to contain the virus.
“My plea is clear to all leaders: we cannot play politics with this outbreak; we cannot point fingers; we cannot play isolation; we all need to come together to save our continent,” he said.
He called for cooperation among Nigeria, Uganda and the DRC, stressing the importance of information-sharing and a coordinated response to prevent further transmission.
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