Nigeria records first Ebola case of current outbreak as Kenya reports ninth

Nigeria announced on Tuesday its first Ebola case in the current outbreak in Africa. The infection was detected in a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja, Nigeria's capital. On the same day, Kenya's health ministry reported its ninth case. A regional health official warned the situation poses "an extremely serious threat".

Scale of the outbreak

A major Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in May. Since then, the deadly viral haemorrhagic fever has spread to several countries on the continent, including neighbouring Uganda. Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, the African Union's health agency, said the Bundibugyo-strain outbreak has become the most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history, affecting multiple countries across three regions of Africa.

The DRC epidemic has already become the deadliest in the country's history, with health authorities reporting 4,381 deaths among more than 9,000 confirmed cases. Kaseya wrote on X that mortality in the DRC is approaching 50% and urged the international community to send money, medical supplies and health workers without delay.

Nigeria

Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said in a statement that the patient received care at a private hospital for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed. She is now in isolation and receiving medical care. Contact tracing has begun, with 44 close contacts identified so far, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts. It is the first Ebola case registered in the west African country since 2014.

Uganda's Health Ministry said late Tuesday that there were no confirmed active Ebola cases in the country and that travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred there.

Kenya

Kenya reported its first case on October 6: a businessman in his forties who had lived in the DRC and died in Nairobi on October 5. Most of the eight cases reported since involve people closely connected to him. The ninth patient is a 24-year-old man, a close family member of the first case, confirmed positive on Monday. The ministry said he was already in quarantine when he fell ill and that treatment began immediately after his positive test. The United States on Tuesday warned its citizens against travelling to Kenya due to health risks.