Overview
- Nigeria announced on Tuesday that a woman in Abuja tested positive for Ebola and is in isolation after laboratory analysis identified the Bundibugyo strain.
- Authorities have identified 44 close contacts so far and are tracing airline passengers, and the patient was not tested for Ebola until nearly two weeks after falling ill which has made contact tracing harder.
- The outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May and remains the epicenter with roughly 9,500 confirmed cases and about 4,600 deaths, and Bundibugyo currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
- WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have described the situation as more complex and have called an extraordinary virtual meeting of African health ministers for Oct. 28 to coordinate the response.
- Public health officials say containment will depend on rapid detection, isolation, strict infection prevention in clinics, exhaustive 21-day contact monitoring, and extra resources to strengthen surveillance at airports and hospitals.