Swiss diplomat's wife tests positive for Ebola in Nigeria

A woman who tested positive for Ebola in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on October 20 has been confirmed as the wife of a Swiss diplomat, according to the BBC and Swiss government officials. The BBC reported that the patient is a 42-year-old Ugandan-born national. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Nigeria had confirmed its first Ebola infection of the current outbreak after a woman flew to Abuja from Uganda, where she began showing symptoms on October 7 and entered a private hospital on October 11. [1][6][7][8][10][11][17]

The Swiss foreign ministry stated that the diplomat is currently in isolation but has not developed any symptoms, the BBC reported. The ministry also confirmed to the BBC that all 25 staff members at the Swiss embassy in Nigeria are in good health and do not need to isolate. According to the BBC, the patient spent about a week at a private clinic. [1]

The Swiss government reported that the patient is believed to have contracted the virus in Uganda and did not travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to reports from TheCable, the Daily Monitor, Reuters, Premium Times Nigeria, and Internazionale. The BBC also reported official statements that the first Ebola patients in Nigeria and Kenya may have crossed paths at an airport in Uganda. [6][7][8][9][10][11]

The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that Africa faces a complex Ebola outbreak after the virus spread from East Africa to Nigeria, marking the first case in West Africa during this strain's spread, according to France 24 and the South China Morning Post. The South China Morning Post noted that Nigeria announced an imported case of the Bundibugyo strain on Tuesday. [4][5]