Five months after it was declared in eastern Congo, the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus has touched four countries and is still growing.
Country by country
- DR Congo: 10,060 confirmed cases and 4,887 deaths as of October 27, by government count. Cases are in 66 health zones across eight provinces, and about 80% of new cases come from outside known chains of transmission.
- Kenya: 9 confirmed cases, linked to one imported case, with two deaths. About 100 contacts remain under monitoring.
- Uganda: 20 cases and 2 deaths over the summer. WHO declared its outbreak over in August, and Uganda says it has no active cases.
- Nigeria: 1 imported case. The patient, a 42-year-old Swiss national, was evacuated to Switzerland on Monday. Health officials are still monitoring more than 50 contacts.
The Entebbe link
Nigeria’s Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said last week that genetic analysis shows the Nigerian patient’s virus is closely related to Kenya’s first case. Africa CDC now says both patients travelled through Entebbe International Airport in Uganda on October 3. That does not prove where or how either was infected, but it gives investigators a clear place to look.
Uganda has tightened its borders. Ugandans returning from Congo must quarantine for 21 days at their own expense, and anyone who has been in Congo can no longer transit through Uganda.
A vaccine trial, and violence
On October 23, the WHO announced the first clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine for this outbreak, with a health worker in Ituri receiving a dose of the Tumaini vaccine. No vaccine or treatment is yet approved for the Bundibugyo strain.
The response remains dangerous. On Saturday, attackers killed a nurse and injured a colleague responding to a suspected case in Congo’s Tshopo province.
What it means for Nigeria
The WHO advises against travel bans but urges stronger screening and early detection. For Nigerians, the lesson stands: tell health workers about every country you have travelled through, including airports where you only changed planes.
The Health Factor Africa
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