Uganda will strengthen screening at points of entry after Nigeria confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola in a woman who passed through Uganda, while investigators work to determine where she was infected.
Uganda's Ministry of Health said in an Oct. 20 statement that the country had no confirmed active Ebola cases. Its preliminary account said the woman had traveled to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for business, passed through Uganda without symptoms in early October and became ill after reaching Nigeria. The ministry said her transit did not establish the place of exposure.
Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed the infection Oct. 20. The woman was receiving care in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja. The ministry said it had identified 44 close contacts for monitoring as of its announcement, including health workers and travel contacts.
The World Health Organization (WHO), citing Nigeria's health ministry, said symptoms began Oct. 7 and the patient sought care Oct. 11. Testing confirmed Bundibugyo virus on Oct. 20. WHO says people with the disease are not infectious before symptoms appear.
WHO says the disease can spread through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids or contaminated materials. Its incubation period ranges from two to 21 days. WHO has advised against restricting travel or trade with affected countries.
The case comes amid a wider outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO reported 9,637 confirmed infections and 4,646 confirmed deaths there as of Oct. 19. It said Kenya had reported nine cases by Oct. 20.
Uganda declared an earlier Bundibugyo outbreak over on July 28 after recording 20 infections and two deaths. For the latest case, WHO said investigators were reconstructing the woman's travel history and looking for others who may have been exposed. Nigeria is following up with the contacts identified so far.
