The director-general of the African Centre for Disease Control, Jean Kaseya, has confirmed the nationality of the Ebola patient in Nigeria to be Ugandan, stating she was born in the East African country, as more details emerge about the infected person.
It is unclear if the Ugandan national holds dual citizenship, but the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said she is a diplomat who is now critically ill after suffering multiple organ failures.
The World Health Organisation also said at a press briefing on Thursday that the Ebola patient travelled to Uganda on September 16 and that there are no records of her leaving there until earlier this month.
The WHO’s account contradicts Ugandan authorities’ claim that the patient only transited through the country, which they said does not establish Uganda as the location of exposure.
Uganda’s health ministry on Tuesday denied exporting Ebola to Nigeria, insisting the patient only passed through the country without manifesting the symptoms there. But the WHO’s statement has raised new questions about Uganda’s denial and Ebola-free status.
Uganda was declared Ebola-free in August after completing WHO’s required 42-day period without a new confirmed case.
Meanwhile, Mr Kaseya said the patient needs to come clean with her travel records and disclose whether she came into contact with anyone from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus had killed more than 4000 people.
“We are lucky that this person we know today, without any doubt, is a Ugandan-born person who went to Uganda, and she was there for some days. Then the husband flew to join her in Uganda, and then they came back to Abuja on October 3. This is a fact,” Mr Kaseya said on Channels TV Thursday.
He said honesty is key to managing the contagion, adding that full disclosure would help health officials narrow down the location of exposure and isolate potentially exposed people.
“Now, what we want is collaboration from this person, the lady. She has to disclose to the authorities. I need this information, as Nigeria needs this information because we need also to support Uganda. She needs to tell us if, first, she flew to the DRC. Second, if she went out of Kampala; third, if she was in contact with someone who came from the DRC,” Mr Kaseya explained.
He added, “This is the information we are looking for. It will help all of us to avoid crises between African countries.”
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has placed 46 persons under isolation for three weeks, the incubation period for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus disease.
The patient’s husband and two domestic staff were among the 46 isolated persons.
Nigeria’s minister of aviation, Festus Keyamo, has also placed the infected persons on a no-fly list, directing airlines not to allow any of the isolated persons to travel by air during the surveillance period.
In June, the Nigerian government set aside N10 billion to prepare the country for the virus in the event of an outbreak.
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