Uganda has pushed back against suggestions linking an Ebola case confirmed in Abuja to infection within its borders, saying the patient is a Nigerian woman who only transited through the country after visiting eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for business.
In a statement signed by its Director-General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, Uganda’s Ministry of Health insisted that the country had no confirmed active Ebola cases at the time of the statement.
The ministry said the woman passed through Uganda in early October without showing symptoms and became ill after arriving in Nigeria.
“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” it said.
Ugandan authorities said they were awaiting detailed information from Nigeria on the patient’s travel itinerary and clinical history to guide investigations and any necessary contact tracing.
The clarification followed Nigeria’s announcement on Tuesday that laboratory tests had confirmed Ebola in a woman who arrived on an international flight from Uganda.
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the patient received treatment at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory for several days before the diagnosis.
She is now in isolation and receiving medical care, while 44 close contacts have been identified for monitoring.
Uganda said it would strengthen screening and public health controls at entry points, urging residents to remain calm and vigilant.
The source of the patient’s infection remains under investigation.
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