Nigeria’s Ebola patient is Swiss

The nationality of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient has been revealed, reports www.totorinews.com.

She is a Swiss woman married to a staff member of Switzerland’s embassy in Abuja, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, citing Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry.

The report said the woman and her husband recently travelled to Uganda but had not visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the current outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola originated.

“The infection may have occurred during a trip to Uganda approximately two weeks ago,” the Swiss authorities said, raising questions about the Ugandan government’s position that the country had not recorded any Ebola cases this year.

The Swiss foreign ministry said the woman had been hospitalised at a private clinic in Abuja for about a week after developing symptoms of the disease, adding that her husband was in isolation but had not developed any symptoms.

“Neither individual travelled” to the DRC, the statement reportedly added.

The Swiss foreign ministry also disclosed that the other 25 members of staff at its embassy in Abuja, comprising eight Swiss nationals and 17 local employees, were doing well.

Following consultations with Nigeria’s health ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the embassy staff were not required to undergo isolation, according to the statement.

Switzerland is also considering the possible repatriation of the patient to the country for further medical care.

The ICIR reported that Nigeria announced its first recorded Ebola case on Tuesday, identifying the patient as a woman who arrived in Abuja on a flight from Uganda. Authorities have identified 44 contacts linked to the case.

On Wednesday, Nigerian authorities confirmed that the patient was infected with the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there are currently no specific vaccines or treatments.