Nigeria Confirms Ebola Case Amid Origin Dispute

Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade, a development that marks the fourth African nation affected by the ongoing outbreak.

The patient is the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat stationed in Abuja. The Swiss foreign ministry stated on Friday that she was believed to have contracted the virus while traveling in Uganda with her husband. This account contradicts earlier claims by Ugandan officials who said the woman had traveled to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak began in mid-May.

The discrepancy creates uncertainty for health authorities attempting to map the virus's path. Uganda declared itself Ebola-free in August after reporting cases in May and June. A Ugandan government spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the country currently has no active cases and would disclose information if that changed.

Health experts are examining specific travel routes to identify the point of infection. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that both the Nigerian patient and an Ebola patient in Kenya passed through Entebbe airport in Uganda on October 3. Catherine Smallwood, a WHO Ebola incident manager, said in a video briefing from Geneva that a link to the Kenyan case is possible but requires timing analysis to confirm.

Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist on the WHO emergency committee, expressed skepticism about the airport exposure theory. She described the hypothesis as very speculative unless evidence shows the patients shared a specific space. She added that random presence at a large airport does not constitute a supported epidemiological link under current standards.

Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigeria's health minister, stated that the case remains contained and contact tracing is ongoing. He said officials are working to prevent the virus from reaching wider communities. Melaku Yirga, vice-president for Africa at Prosper Global, emphasized the need for speed and cross-border information sharing to support frontline health workers.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain with no approved treatment or vaccine. First announced on May 15, it has infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them. It is the largest outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo's history and the second largest globally, behind the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic.