Ebola: Uganda Reveals Where Infected Woman Travelled Before Arriving In Abuja

Uganda has stated that as of Wednesday, October 21, it has no active case of Ebola.

Naija News reports that the Nigerian government had confirmed an active case of Ebola in its capital city, Abuja.

Health Minister Muhammad Ali had announced that a female patient who had travelled from Uganda in East Africa tested positive for the virus.

However, in a statement issued after Pate’s comment, Charles Olaro, Director-General of Health Services in the East African country, clarified that the patient is a Nigerian.

Olaro said the woman had travelled to the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has nearly 10,000 active cases with 4,500 deaths from Ebola, for business and transited through Uganda in early October.

According to Olaro, she showed no symptoms while in Uganda but developed symptoms after arriving in Nigeria.

“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation.

“The Government of Nigeria is yet to provide detailed information on her travel itinerary and clinical history, which will guide further investigations and any necessary contact tracing.

“We wish to clarify that, as at the time of this statement, Uganda has NO confirmed active Ebola cases,” the ministry said.

The Ugandan government said it had maintained limited provisions for humanitarian and diplomatic movement, adding that it would strengthen screening and public health controls at points of entry.

Ebola is a severe viral disease that can cause high levels of mortality. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the average case fatality rate across Ebola disease outbreaks is approximately 50 per cent, although the rate varies substantially according to the virus, outbreak circumstances and access to care.

According to the WHO, transmission between people occurs primarily through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or someone who has died from the disease.

Infection can occur when contaminated fluids enter the body through broken skin or the eyes, nose or mouth.