Uganda has said it has no confirmed active Ebola cases, insisting that the Nigerian woman diagnosed with the disease in Abuja only transited through the country.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Charles Olaro, its director-general of health services, the Ugandan Ministry of Health said the woman travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for business before passing through Uganda in early October.
The ministry said she showed no symptoms while in Uganda but developed them after arriving in Nigeria.
It added that her transit through Uganda did not establish where she contracted the virus, saying investigations were ongoing to determine the location of exposure. “Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation.”
The ministry also said Nigeria had yet to provide detailed information about the woman’s travel itinerary and clinical history to guide further investigations and any necessary contact tracing. “We wish to clarify that, as at the time of this statement, Uganda has NO confirmed active Ebola cases.”
The Ugandan government said it had maintained limited provisions for humanitarian and diplomatic movement. It added that it would strengthen screening and public health controls at points of entry.
The ministry urged the public to remain calm, stay vigilant and practise regular handwashing and sanitising.
The statement follows Nigeria’s confirmation of an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Ali Pate, Nigeria’s coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said on Tuesday that laboratory tests confirmed the infection in a woman who recently arrived in the country on an international flight from Uganda.
Pate said the patient had spent several days receiving treatment at a private hospital in the FCT before the diagnosis was confirmed. “She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.”
The minister said contact tracing had begun, with 44 close contacts identified for monitoring.
In October, Kenyan authorities confirmed the country’s first case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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