African health ministers to meet over Ebola spread, Nigeria reports first case

African health ministers have been invited to a virtual meeting on October 28 to discuss the spread of Ebola, after Nigeria reported its first case linked to a traveller from Uganda.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the meeting would “strengthen our collective response.”

The patient, a foreign national who entered Nigeria on October 5, was initially treated for malaria but failed to recover, raising suspicions among doctors, Odianosen Ehiakhamen, an assistant director at the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, told local media on Tuesday.

Authorities are tracing 44 contacts, mostly healthcare workers, as well as the patient's spouse, a Swiss national.

Uganda, which declared itself Ebola-free in July after recording 20 cases, has denied claims that Nigeria's case originated there. Nigeria and Kenya, which has recorded nine cases, are the latest countries to report infections linked to travellers who passed through Uganda. France has also recorded a case.

The outbreak was first detected in Congo in May after spreading undetected for months, according to the World Health Organization. It has since infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them, making it the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in history.

“Ebola is now affecting three regions of Africa. The situation demands urgent action and political leadership at the highest level,” Kaseya said in a post on X.

The WHO said Wednesday it had advised “all countries in the region to sustain a high level of readiness as the DRC outbreak continues to evolve.”

In parts of Congo, including North Kivu, health authorities say the disease is out of control. Most recorded deaths have occurred in communities, while contact tracing has struggled to keep pace with the spread.

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.