NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 21 — Nigerian health authorities are tracing 44 people who may have been exposed to Ebola after a woman who recently travelled to the country from Uganda tested positive for the virus, prompting an urgent public health response in the capital, Abuja.
The woman received treatment at a private hospital for several days before laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20. She has since been isolated and is receiving medical care, according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The 44 contacts identified so far include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people linked to the woman’s international travel, raising the need for swift monitoring to prevent further transmission.
“The patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda,” the ministry said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
“Contact tracing has commenced with 44 close contacts identified presently.”
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), is coordinating the response with the Federal Capital Territory Health Services Secretariat and other relevant authorities.
Surveillance has been intensified, while the private hospital where the woman was treated is receiving support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
The government has also directed public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to remain alert for suspected cases, isolate patients promptly and immediately report suspected infections to public health authorities.
Healthcare workers have been urged to maintain a high index of suspicion and observe strict infection prevention measures as investigations continue.
The World Health Organisation said the patient’s symptoms began on October 7, four days after her arrival in Nigeria, and that she sought treatment at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11. Laboratory tests confirmed Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease on October 20.
Investigations are ongoing to establish the likely source of infection and reconstruct her full travel and exposure history.
The woman’s travel through Uganda does not, on its own, establish that she contracted the virus there.
The Nigerian government has urged residents to remain calm but vigilant, practise regular hand hygiene and avoid contact with the blood or body fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola.
The disease spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person who is symptomatic or has died from the disease, or through contaminated materials. People infected with Ebola do not transmit it before symptoms begin.
The government also called on passengers who may have travelled with the patient to cooperate with contact-tracing teams and urged the public to avoid spreading unverified information or stigmatising people who may have been exposed.
Nigeria said it would draw on its experience containing an Ebola outbreak in 2014 as it works to prevent further spread.
“The Federal Government, FCT authorities and other partners are working together to protect healthcare workers, patients and the wider public,” the statement said.