Ebola virus disease has resurfaced in Nigeria after a woman who recently returned from Uganda tested positive for the virus at Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja.
The woman’s infection was confirmed at the Turkish-run hospital located outside Abuja’s city centre.
Officials familiar with the development reportedly disclosed the case.
The development has raised concerns about the possibility of a fresh Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, with health authorities said to be taking steps to prevent further transmission of the disease.
It is not immediately clear how the woman contracted the virus or whether she had been exposed to an infected person before travelling to Nigeria.
However, her recent return from Uganda was identified in the report as a significant detail in the investigation into the case.
It is understood that the Federal Ministry of Health had begun releasing financial resources to support efforts to track the virus and trace people who might have come into contact with the infected woman.
Ebola virus disease is a severe and potentially fatal illness that can spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms, as well as through contaminated materials.
Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. In some cases, patients develop vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and internal or external bleeding.
The disease can initially resemble other illnesses, making prompt medical assessment and laboratory testing important when an infection is suspected.
Nigeria previously recorded an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller arrived in Lagos from Liberia.
The case triggered an emergency public health response involving the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Lagos State Government and international health partners.
According to a report published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nigeria recorded 19 laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases and one probable case during the 2014 outbreak.
The report stated that 894 contacts were identified and monitored as health authorities worked to prevent further transmission. Eight deaths were recorded among the confirmed and probable cases.
The response involved isolating suspected cases, testing patients, tracing contacts, monitoring exposed individuals and coordinating activities through an emergency operations centre.
The outbreak was eventually contained due to early detection, effective contact tracing and cooperation between health authorities and medical facilities.
COURTESY: PoliticsNigeria
