Uganda has denied having any confirmed active Ebola cases, insisting that the Nigerian woman diagnosed with the disease in Abuja only transited through the East African country after travelling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Ugandan Ministry of Health said the woman travelled to eastern DRC for business and passed through Uganda in early October before arriving in Nigeria, where she subsequently developed symptoms.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Director-General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, the ministry said the woman showed no symptoms while in Uganda, stressing that her transit through the country did not establish that she contracted the virus there.
“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the ministry said.
It added that the Nigerian government had yet to provide detailed information about the woman’s travel itinerary and clinical history to assist further investigations and any necessary contact tracing.
“We wish to clarify that, as at the time of this statement, Uganda has NO confirmed active Ebola cases,” the statement said, reports TheCable.
The Ugandan government said it had maintained limited provisions for humanitarian and diplomatic movements but would strengthen screening and public health controls at points of entry.
It also urged the public to remain calm and vigilant while observing preventive measures, including regular handwashing and sanitising.
The clarification comes after Nigeria confirmed its first imported Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), raising concerns about the possibility of further transmission.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, announced on Tuesday that laboratory tests had confirmed the infection in a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.
According to Pate, the patient had been admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the infection was confirmed.
“She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care,” the minister said.
Pate disclosed that contact tracing had commenced, with 44 close contacts identified for monitoring to determine whether they had been exposed to the virus.
The identification and monitoring of contacts are critical to containing Ebola outbreaks, as the virus can spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person or someone who has died from the disease.
The Nigerian authorities have yet to establish where the woman contracted the infection, while Uganda maintains that there is no evidence that transmission occurred within its territory.
The development follows the confirmation by Kenyan authorities in October of the country’s first case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease, a strain distinct from the Ebola virus responsible for many previous outbreaks.
