Uganda’s Ministry of Health has rejected reports suggesting that the country is experiencing an Ebola outbreak following Nigeria’s confirmation of an imported case of the virus in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Federal Government announced the confirmed case on Tuesday, raising concerns about the possible spread of the disease across African countries amid an ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said laboratory tests confirmed the infection in a woman who recently travelled to Nigeria from Uganda.
According to Pate, the patient returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7, which worsened four days later. She was subsequently admitted to a private hospital, where the infection was eventually confirmed.
The minister said the woman had been placed in isolation and was receiving medical attention, while contact tracing had commenced. He added that 44 contacts had been identified as authorities intensified surveillance at the country’s entry points.
Pate explained that the Federal Ministry of Health, the FCT Health Secretariat, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other relevant partners were collaborating to contain the infection and prevent further transmission.
He urged healthcare facilities to remain vigilant and ensure that suspected cases were promptly identified and reported.
The minister also called on Nigerians to remain calm, practise good hygiene and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms such as fever, headache, severe weakness, vomiting or diarrhoea.
He added that Nigeria was drawing on lessons from its successful response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the public health systems established since then to manage the current situation.
However, Uganda’s Ministry of Health, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the location where the Nigerian patient contracted
