The Ugandan government has denied having any confirmed active cases of Ebola, saying the Nigerian woman diagnosed with the disease in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had travelled through Uganda before developing symptoms.
The Ministry of Health, in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Director General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, said the woman travelled to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for business before transiting through Uganda in early October.
According to the ministry, the woman did not show any symptoms of Ebola while in Uganda but developed symptoms after arriving in Nigeria.
It said the fact that she travelled through Uganda did not establish that she contracted the virus in the country, adding that investigations were ongoing to determine where she was exposed.
“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the statement said.
The ministry also said the Nigerian government had yet to provide detailed information about the woman’s travel itinerary and clinical history to guide further investigations and any necessary contact tracing.
It reiterated that Uganda had no confirmed active cases of Ebola as of the time the statement was issued.
The Ugandan government, however, said it had maintained limited provisions for humanitarian and diplomatic movement and would strengthen screening and public health controls at its points of entry.
It urged members of the public to remain calm, maintain vigilance and observe basic hygiene practices, including regular handwashing and sanitising.
The development followed Nigeria’s confirmation of an Ebola case in the FCT.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, announced on Tuesday that laboratory tests had confirmed the infection in a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.
Pate said the patient had been admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received medical care for several days before the infection was confirmed.
He added that the woman was in isolation and receiving treatment.
The minister further disclosed that contact tracing had commenced, with 44 close contacts identified for monitoring as health authorities intensified efforts to contain the potential spread of the disease.
