Africa CDC probes Entebbe airport link between Nigeria, Kenya Ebola cases
Officials are determining if the first confirmed patients in both countries crossed paths in Uganda during the record-breaking outbreak.
By Tunde Adeyemi ·
Nigeria and Kenya are investigating whether their first confirmed Ebola patients of the current outbreak made contact at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussed the inquiry at a press briefing on Thursday.
Nigeria reported its first case in over a decade on Tuesday. The patient is the wife of a diplomat based in Abuja. She was born in Uganda, vacationed there in September, and returned to Nigeria earlier this month. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, who leads emergency preparedness and response at the Africa CDC, confirmed the woman is receiving treatment.
Health authorities placed 44 close contacts of the Nigerian patient in quarantine. Investigators are currently tracing the source of her initial exposure.
The geographic spread of the virus marks a new stage in the epidemic. Nigeria is the most populous nation on the continent and the first country in West Africa to record an Ebola case. It is the fourth African nation to report an infection during this outbreak. The country is located farthest from the epicenter in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The outbreak began in eastern Congo in May. It is the fastest spreading Ebola outbreak on record. At least 4,600 people have died in Congo, and approximately 9,700 people have been infected.
Uganda initially reported about 20 cases but was declared free of the virus in August. Kenya recorded its first case in early October. Eight additional cases have since been confirmed in Kenya. The first Kenyan patient, who has died, traveled from Congo to Kenya via Uganda.
Both the deceased Kenyan patient and the Nigerian patient were present at Entebbe International Airport on the same day. Mankoula stated that the Africa CDC is examining whether there was any interaction between the two cases at the facility. Ebola transmits through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated items. Patients are generally not considered infectious until symptoms appear.
Source: NPR
