Swiss Ministry Says Ugandan Travel Likely Caused Nigerian Ebola Infection
Officials disagree on whether the diplomat's wife was infected in Uganda or DR Congo, complicating containment efforts.
By Bianca Shevchenko ·
A dispute over the infection route for Nigeria's first Ebola patient in more than ten years has emerged between Swiss and Ugandan authorities. The Swiss foreign ministry stated on Friday that the patient, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, likely contracted the virus while traveling in Uganda. The ministry emphasized that the woman did not visit the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak. This account directly contradicts earlier claims by Ugandan officials, who said the patient had traveled to eastern DR Congo. A Ugandan government spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the country had no active cases and would publicize any new infections immediately.
The conflicting narratives raise questions about the geographic scope of the current epidemic. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, was first announced on 15 May. It has since infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them. This makes it the largest and deadliest outbreak in DR Congo's history and the second largest globally, trailing only the 2014-16 west Africa epidemic. Uganda reported cases in May and June, and the World Health Organization declared the country Ebola-free in August.
Health agencies are investigating alternative transmission paths. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is examining whether the patient came into contact with an Ebola case in Kenya. Dr. Wessam Mankoula, the organization's head of emergency preparedness and response, noted that both individuals passed through Uganda's Entebbe airport on 3 October. Catherine Smallwood, a WHO Ebola incident manager, said at a UN briefing in Geneva that a link to the Kenyan case was possible. She added that officials must compare the timing of this exposure with the onset of the Nigerian patient's symptoms to determine the likely source.
Experts remain cautious about the airport transmission theory. Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist on the WHO's Ebola emergency committee, described the theory as very speculative without evidence of shared space. She argued that random presence at a large airport is not a supported epidemiological link under current standards. The WHO stated that investigations into the likely source of the Nigerian infection are continuing.
Nigeria's health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the case remains contained and contact tracing is ongoing. He stated, "We are trying to contain it so it doesn't go out to the communities." Melaku Yirga, vice-president for Africa at Prosper Global, stressed the need for speed and cross-border information sharing. He highlighted the importance of providing frontline health workers with the resources to respond quickly.
The outbreak has now reached a fourth African country. Authorities are working to prevent further spread while resolving the conflicting accounts of the patient's travel history. The lack of an approved treatment or vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus adds urgency to these containment efforts.
