Authorities investigating whether first Kenyan and Nigerian Ebola cases crossed paths
Health officials are investigating whether the first confirmed Ebola cases in Nigeria and Kenya crossed paths at a Ugandan airport. Authorities are tracking contacts to prevent further spread of the virus during the current outbreak.
Why it matters
Tracing potential transmission points is vital for containing the spread of highly infectious diseases across international borders.
JOHANNESBURG – The first Ebola patient confirmed in Nigeria may have crossed paths with the first Kenyan Ebola patient at a Ugandan airport, health officials said Thursday.
Nigeria announced its first case of Ebola in more than a decade on Tuesday. Nigerian health authorities said the patient is the Ugandan-born wife of a diplomat based in Abuja who had vacationed in Uganda in September and returned to Nigeria earlier this month.
She is being treated and 44 people she had close contact with have been quarantined, Dr. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a press briefing on Thursday.
Authorities are now investigating what the source of her exposure was.
Headlinne story · 8 newsrooms
Nigeria Confirms First Ebola Case as Virus Spreads Across Africa
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