Africa CDC Investigates Potential Ebola Contact Between Nigerian And Kenyan Cases
Health officials are examining if the first Ebola patient in Nigeria and the late first case in Kenya crossed paths at a Ugandan airport.
By John Wilson ·
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday that it is investigating whether the first confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria had contact with the first patient in Kenya. The inquiry focuses on a potential interaction between the two individuals at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.
Nigeria reported its first Ebola case in over a decade 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, the head of emergency preparedness and response at the Africa CDC, confirmed the woman is currently receiving treatment.
Forty-four close contacts of the Nigerian patient have been placed in quarantine. Investigators are working to determine the specific circumstances of her initial exposure to the virus. Mankoula stated that the agency is looking into whether there was some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport.
The geographic location of the Nigerian case marks a shift in the outbreak. Nigeria is the fourth African nation to record a case in the current outbreak and the first in West Africa. It is the most populous country on the continent and lies farthest from the epicenter in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The outbreak began in May in eastern Congo and has become the fastest spreading on record. At least 4,600 people have died in the country, and roughly 9,700 have been infected. Neighboring Uganda initially reported about 20 cases but was declared free of the disease in August.
Kenya recorded its first case in early October. Eight additional cases have been confirmed there since that time. The first Kenyan patient, who has died, traveled from Congo to Kenya via Uganda. Both that patient and the Nigerian case were present at Entebbe International Airport on the same day, which triggered the current investigation.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or through contaminated items. The virus causes severe fever and can be fatal. Health officials note that people are generally not considered infectious until symptoms appear.
Source: NPR
