Africa CDC checks if Ebola cases crossed paths in Uganda

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a potential link between the first confirmed Ebola cases in Kenya and Nigeria. Health officials raised the question during a press briefing on Thursday. They are examining whether the two patients came into contact at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

Nigeria announced its first Ebola case on Tuesday. The patient is a diplomat's wife who was born in Uganda. She traveled to Uganda for a vacation in September and returned to Nigeria earlier this month. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, who leads emergency preparedness and response at the Africa CDC, confirmed the woman is receiving treatment. Health authorities have placed 44 close contacts in quarantine. Investigators are also trying to determine how she was originally exposed to the virus.

The geography of this case marks a shift in the outbreak's reach. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. It is the fourth nation on the continent to report a case in the current wave. It is the first country in West Africa to record an infection. It is also the location farthest from the epicenter in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The outbreak began in eastern Congo in May. It has become the fastest spreading Ebola outbreak on record. At least 4,600 people have died in Congo. Approximately 9,700 people have been infected there. Neighboring Uganda reported about 20 cases but was declared free of the virus in August.

Kenya recorded its first case in early October. Eight more cases have been confirmed there since. The first Kenyan patient traveled from Congo to Kenya via Uganda. That patient has died. Both the deceased Kenyan patient and the Nigerian patient were present at Entebbe International Airport on the same day. This overlap prompted the current investigation. Mankoula stated the agency is looking into whether there was some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. It can also spread through contaminated items. The virus causes severe fever and can be fatal. People are generally not considered infectious until symptoms appear.