Nigeria confirms Ebola case in Abuja, tightens entry screening

Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case in a decade after a woman who travelled from Uganda tested positive in the capital, Abuja, health authorities said.

The woman arrived in Nigeria on Oct. 3, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. She began showing symptoms on Oct. 7 and was admitted to a private hospital on Oct. 11. Officials said she is a diplomat and that her condition had deteriorated to multi-organ failure.

Laboratory testing identified the virus as the Bundibugyo strain, the NCDC said, a finding also confirmed by the World Health Organization. The strain is driving an outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May and has spread to several African countries, including Uganda and Kenya. More than 9,000 infections and 4,300 deaths have been recorded, according to health authorities.

Nigeria has identified 44 contacts of the patient and is monitoring them while seeking others who may have been exposed. The WHO said infection-prevention and control measures were being strengthened at the private hospital where she received care.

The federal government also ordered strict enforcement of Ebola screening, health declarations and surveillance at designated entry points. The Health Ministry’s Oct. 22 directive followed concerns from the Office of the National Security Adviser about reported breaches of approved entry protocols. Agencies were instructed to improve coordination, report attempted or actual violations and establish mechanisms to monitor compliance.