The Ebola outbreak in Africa is becoming more difficult to control after the virus spread from East Africa to Nigeria. The country has confirmed its first case of the “Bundibujo“ strain, and health authorities are tracing 44 people who were in contact with the infected patient.
The woman is the wife of a diplomat, who according to Nigerian authorities traveled to Uganda. The case is linked to the outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is described as the deadliest in the country's history.
“We are facing a more complex epidemic situation. Nigeria has confirmed an imported case of Ebola, said Mohamed Janabi, the World Health Organization's regional director for Africa. According to WHO data, Nigeria is the fifth country to register the virus since the outbreak was declared in DR Congo.
Over 9,000 confirmed cases in DR Congo
Since mid-May, the Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded more than 9,000 confirmed cases and more than 4,000 deaths. Kenya has reported nine cases since October 6, and the infection has also reached other parts of the continent through travel.
The cause is the "Bundiboujo" strain, for which there is still no vaccine or specific treatment. The virus is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe internal and external bleeding and organ failure.
The memory of the 2014 outbreak
The first case in Nigeria is reminiscent of the large-scale Ebola outbreak in West Africa between late 2013 and 2016. At that time, the disease claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people in the region.
Nigeria managed to control the infection in the previous outbreak. The country reported 19 cases, seven of which ended in death. The experience since then is expected to be important for contact tracing and limiting new outbreaks.
Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. New cases in Nigeria and Kenya raise the risk of wider spread and put pressure on health authorities in countries linked to the outbreak in DR Congo.
Sources: bta.bg