Ebola: Nigeria’s Case Genetically Linked to Kenya, Pate Says

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has said genomic analysis shows that the country’s confirmed Ebola case is closely related to a case identified in Kenya.

Pate, however, said the findings had not established a direct epidemiological link between Nigeria’s case and Kenya’s index case, adding that further investigations were ongoing to determine the possible route of transmission.

The minister disclosed this on Friday while briefing Nigerians on the country’s response to the outbreak alongside the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jide Idris.

He said the Federal Government was continuing contact tracing, testing and other public health interventions to prevent further transmission of the virus.

“We still have only one confirmed case. The contacts have been traced and quarantined, and we are conducting additional tests. Some of the results are negative, while others are pending,” Pate said.

According to him, the genomic analysis was conducted using laboratory facilities at the NCDC and those associated with Professor Christian Happi at Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.

“The case appears to be closely related to the case identified in the index case in Kenya,” the minister said.

He added, “That is all we can say at this stage based on the genomic analysis. No evidence of travel by that index case in Kenya links it to Nigeria, but the viruses appear to be related.”

Pate explained that although the findings could guide further investigations into the origin and transmission of the infection, available evidence was insufficient to establish precisely how the virus reached Nigeria.

The development comes amid an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease, a rare form of Ebola, which has affected countries in Africa.

The World Health Organisation reported on October 20 that Nigeria had confirmed one imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory following the patient’s recent travel from Uganda. The agency also reported cases in Kenya linked to an imported infection.

Nigeria’s index patient, a woman, reportedly developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11. Laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare initially reported that 44 close contacts had been identified for monitoring as health authorities worked to establish the likely source of the infection and reconstruct the patient’s travel and exposure history.

Speaking on the response measures, Idris said the NCDC was strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management and public risk communication through its incident management system.

He said the agency was also reinforcing infection prevention and control measures in health facilities and preparing healthcare workers to identify and manage suspected cases.

Idris stressed the importance of ensuring that healthcare workers used appropriate protective equipment when assessing patients and promptly notified public health authorities whenever suspected cases were identified.

He also urged Nigerians to observe basic hygiene measures, including regular handwashing, and rely on credible public health authorities for information about the outbreak.

The NCDC director-general explained that Ebola was not transmitted through the airborne route but primarily through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who had developed symptoms, or through contaminated materials.

He warned against spreading misinformation on social media, advising Nigerians to obtain updates from the NCDC, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pate reassured Nigerians that the country had the public health infrastructure and expertise required to respond to the outbreak.

“We are reassuring Nigerians that we will continue to work diligently to ensure that we contain this virus as much as possible, and that we avoid a situation where it spills over into communities,” he said.

He urged residents to remain vigilant but calm, stressing that preventive measures and cooperation with health authorities were essential to containing the infection.

The WHO has advised countries to maintain strong disease surveillance, promptly investigate suspected cases, strengthen laboratory testing and ensure that health facilities have adequate infection prevention and control measures. It has also called for heightened monitoring at points of entry as the regional outbreak evolves.

Symptoms of Ebola may include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhoea. In severe cases, unexplained bleeding may occur.

Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after the virus was introduced into Lagos by an infected traveller. The response involved rapid case identification, contact tracing, isolation and coordinated public health interventions.

The Federal Government has urged public and private health facilities to remain vigilant, promptly isolate suspected cases and immediately notify public health authorities of any suspected infection.