Health Minister Muhammad Pate says genetic analysis found only one mutation separating the Ebola virus detected in Nigeria from the virus in Kenya’s first imported case.
The similarity does not establish where Nigeria’s patient became infected or prove a transmission link between the two patients, he cautioned.
Pate announced the finding at a briefing in Abuja on Friday, October 23. He said sequencing teams at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Redeemer’s University carried out the analysis. Premium Times reported that virologist Christian Happi led the team.
The minister said the viruses appeared related, but investigators had not established that the Nigerian patient travelled to Kenya. Further investigations and testing were continuing.
Premium Times also reported that Africa CDC was examining a possible connection because both patients travelled through Entebbe International Airport in Uganda on October 3. The agency said no connection between the infections had been established.
The genomic finding adds to the investigation into the patient’s travel history. NaijaTrend previously reported the WHO’s assessment and the differing accounts of where she may have been exposed here.
Pate said Nigeria still had one confirmed case, with contact tracing, quarantine and laboratory testing continuing. Some contact tests had returned negative results and others were pending, according to Premium Times.
Channels Television reported a separate Friday update from the Federal Ministry of Health saying the patient was showing signs of recovery and that there was no evidence of community spread. Those were the ministry’s assessments at the time of the update.
The minister said health workers would receive further training to identify and manage suspected cases. He urged hospitals to notify public health authorities of suspected infections and asked the public to rely on official health information.
Sources: Premium Times, Channels Television
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