Uganda Reports No Active Ebola Cases After Nigerian Patient Tests Positive in Abuja

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has declared that the country has no confirmed active Ebola cases, following reports that a Nigerian woman who tested positive for the virus in Abuja had transited through Uganda after travelling to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The ministry clarified that the woman showed no symptoms while in Uganda, stressing that her transit through the country does not establish that she contracted the virus there.

It said the location where the woman was exposed to the virus remains under investigation.

The clarification comes amid heightened public health attention following Nigeria’s confirmation of an imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to the information provided, the patient had travelled to eastern DRC for business before transiting through Uganda and subsequently arriving in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s health authorities have identified 44 close contacts of the infected woman for monitoring as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.
The patient is currently in isolation and receiving medical care in the FCT.

The development has underscored the importance of cross-border disease surveillance, contact tracing and timely information-sharing among countries to contain potential outbreaks.

While Uganda maintains that it has no confirmed active Ebola cases, investigations are continuing to establish where the Nigerian patient contracted the infection.

Health authorities are expected to continue monitoring identified contacts and implementing appropriate public health measures to minimise the risk of further spread.