Ebola case confirmed in Abuja as NCDC traces 53 contacts
- A 42-year-old woman who arrived in Abuja from Uganda tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on 20 October.
- The NCDC said 53 contacts were being monitored and the patient was later evacuated to Switzerland for care.
- The case has revived memories of the 2014 outbreak and Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, who died fighting it.
Nigeria has recorded an imported Ebola case in Abuja, with the patient reportedly arriving from Uganda on the east coast of Africa. The woman, a 42-year-old, tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain on 20 October, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
She is now in isolation and receiving care. On 26 October, she and her husband were medically evacuated to Switzerland for specialised treatment.
How the case unfolded
According to the NCDC, the woman returned to Abuja from Uganda through Addis Ababa on 3 October. She developed symptoms on 7 October and was admitted to a private hospital on 11 October. The NCDC was notified on 19 October, and laboratory confirmation came the next day.
That means 12 days passed between her first symptoms and the alert to health authorities, and 17 days between her arrival and confirmation. In that window, anyone she came into contact with could have been exposed.
By 25 October, the NCDC said 53 contacts had been identified and were being monitored.
Ebola's early signs — fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat — look like many everyday illnesses, which can delay testing. The Bundibugyo strain is different from the Zaire strain that hit Lagos in 2014.
Why it matters to Nigerians
For most people, the immediate risk remains low: this is a single imported case, and contacts are being followed up. But the case is a test of whether the surveillance, isolation and laboratory systems built during past outbreaks still work.
In 2014, a Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, flew into Lagos carrying Ebola. Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh and her colleagues at First Consultants Medical Centre in Obalende kept him in isolation and alerted the authorities. She later tested positive and died on 19 August 2014, aged 57.
Nigeria recorded 20 cases and eight deaths in that outbreak and was declared Ebola-free on 20 October 2014.
Health workers are again on the front line. Their protection — gloves, gowns, training and insurance — depends on how seriously the system treats this case after the headlines fade.
Nigerians should also be wary of rumours. In 2014, false claims about bathing with salt water led to injuries and deaths from excessive salt consumption.
What happens next
Contact tracing and monitoring of the 53 identified contacts will continue. The NCDC is the body to watch for updates, and anyone with fever or other symptoms after recent travel should report to a health facility rather than self-medicate.
