Nigeria's first confirmed Ebola case in more than a decade has heightened alarm across Africa about the virus spreading beyond its current footprint. The patient is the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat stationed in Abuja, according to the Swiss foreign ministry.
The woman is believed to have contracted Ebola while travelling in Uganda with her husband, the ministry said on Friday. Swiss officials added that she had not travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the current outbreak began in mid-May.
The outbreak has now reached four African countries. It was first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May, then spread to Uganda and Kenya before arriving in Nigeria. Health officials across Africa are working to trace how the infection reached Nigeria and to contain further transmission.
The identity of the source remains unclear. Officials are investigating whether the diplomat's wife was exposed to the virus during travel within Uganda or through contact with infected individuals. The gap between potential exposure and confirmation raises questions about how long the virus circulated undetected before reaching Nigeria, a country of over 220 million people.
The case underscores the porous nature of borders in the region and the speed at which Ebola can travel, even among highly mobile populations like diplomatic staff. It also highlights the challenge of tracking infections across multiple countries with varying surveillance capacities.