Uganda has denied that Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case is linked to an infection in the country, saying the Nigerian woman who tested positive for the virus had no symptoms while transiting through Uganda.
In a statement issued on October 20, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said preliminary information indicates that the woman had travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for business before transiting through Uganda in early October.
“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the ministry said.
According to Uganda’s Director General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, Uganda has no active Ebola cases, adding that the patient developed symptoms after arriving in Nigeria,
“We wish to clarify that, as at the time of this statement, Uganda has no confirmed active Ebola cases,” the ministry said.
Nigeria confirmed the case on Tuesday, October 20, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the woman.
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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the patient developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria and is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.
Nigerian authorities have identified 44 contacts and are monitoring them as investigations continue to establish the source of infection and identify others who may have been exposed.
The case comes amid Bundibugyo Ebola infections reported in the DRC, Uganda and Kenya.
The DRC is battling an outbreak, while Uganda recorded 20 cases in May and June before being declared free of the outbreak in July, following the recovery and discharge of its last confirmed patient.
Kenya confirmed its first imported case on October 6 after a patient travelled from the DRC through Uganda to Nairobi. The Health Ministry has since reported nine cases, all among contacts of the initial patient, who died.