A team of leading Ebola scientists will travel to Abuja, Nigeria, to investigate the origin of the country’s first reported Ebola case in more than a decade, according to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director-General Jean Kaseya.
The investigation will focus on how the patient, a Ugandan-born woman married to a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, contracted the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Her travel records reportedly show that she had not visited the outbreak epicentre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Scientists will also examine a possible link between the Nigerian case and an earlier case in Kenya. Genomic sequencing has shown that the viruses identified in the two patients are closely related, although this does not establish direct transmission between them. Both individuals reportedly passed through Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on October 3, raising questions about possible exposure.
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Led by Congolese Ebola expert Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the team will review additional genomic data and investigate potential transmission routes to support contact tracing and identify any undiscovered infections.
The outbreak in the DRC has caused nearly 10,000 cases and more than 4,600 deaths, according to Africa CDC figures cited by Reuters. Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda have also been affected.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people who have symptoms. There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment specifically for the Bundibugyo strain, making surveillance, early detection and coordinated public health action critical.
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