Nigeria confirms first Ebola case belongs to "Bundibugyo" strain

Nigeria announced on Tuesday its first registered case of the Ebola virus as the disease continues to spread across the African continent, prompting a regional health official to warn of a "very serious threat."

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) stated that the case in Nigeria was detected in a woman who traveled from Uganda to the capital, Abuja, on October 3.

Olajumoke Babatunde, director of public health laboratory services at the NCDC, said, "We conducted three levels of tests, all of which were molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo."

The World Health Organization also confirmed that the strain is "Bundibugyo," for which no vaccine or specific treatment is currently available.

Another official said regarding the infected person, "She is indeed a diplomat," adding that her condition deteriorated to "multiple organ failure."

Since the virus's emergence was announced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May, the fatal hemorrhagic fever has spread across the continent, including neighboring Uganda.

In a few months, the Ebola epidemic has become the deadliest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, claiming the lives of 4,381 people out of more than 9,000 confirmed cases, according to health authorities.

Nigeria has identified 44 contacts of the patient who are currently under monitoring, while intensifying efforts to find other individuals who may have been exposed to the infection.

The World Health Organization said in a statement that infection prevention and control measures are being "stepped up" at the private hospital where the patient sought care.

Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate stated in a press release that the patient was on a flight arriving from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital "where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed."

He added, "She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care."

Meanwhile, the Ugandan Ministry of Health reported late Tuesday that "there are no active, confirmed Ebola cases" in the country, noting that "traveling through Uganda does not necessarily mean contracting the infection there."

In the meantime, the Kenyan Ministry of Health also announced on Tuesday the recording of its ninth Ebola case.

Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, warned that "the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has become the most geographically widespread in history, affecting multiple countries in three regions of Africa."

Kaseya urged the international community to send funds, medical supplies, and health workers to help, saying, "Act now."