Nigeria’s coordinating minister of health, Muhammad Pate, said Friday that genomic sequencing found the Ebola virus detected in Nigeria is highly similar to the virus in Kenya’s first imported case, differing by one mutation¹.

Pate spoke at a briefing at the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Premium Times reported¹. Reuters separately headlined the same briefing as linking Nigeria’s case to the virus found in Kenya’s index case; its full article was not available to this desk².

Premium Times said Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases of Bundibugyo Ebola, including one death¹. It said eight of those cases were linked to Kenya’s first imported infection from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including four health-care workers¹.

The genomic finding came as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it is investigating a possible connection between Nigeria’s case and Kenya’s first imported case, Premium Times reported¹. Africa CDC said both patients had traveled through Entebbe International Airport in Uganda on 3 October and stressed that no connection had been established¹.

Nigeria’s health ministry said preliminary information indicated the Nigerian patient, a woman, had traveled to eastern DRC for business and passed through Uganda in early October without showing symptoms¹. The ministry said the location of her exposure remained under investigation¹.

On 21 October, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said it had no confirmed active Ebola case and that the Nigerian patient’s transit did not establish that she contracted the virus there, Premium Times reported¹.

Pate said Nigeria still has only one confirmed case and that contact tracing, quarantine and additional testing of contacts continue, with some tests negative and others pending¹. He said the government is strengthening infection prevention and control in health facilities and would train workers to identify and manage suspected cases¹.

He urged hospitals to notify public health authorities of suspected cases and encouraged handwashing and hygiene¹. He also urged Nigerians to rely on information from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the Federal Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and Africa CDC rather than unverified social media, Premium Times reported¹.

Not medical advice.

Sources

1. Premium TimesEbola: Nigeria case highly similar to Kenya infection – MinisterOct 23, 6:32 PM
2. ReutersNigeria Ebola case linked to virus found in Kenya index case, health minister saysOct 23, 5:50 PM

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