Late detection in Nigeria raises alarm as Ebola spreads across Africa
ABUJA/DAKAR, Oct 22 -
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Ebola → raise → Africa
Nigeria's first Ebola patient in over a decade was not tested for the disease until 13 days after falling ill, officials said, a delay that raises questions about authorities' ability to contain an outbreak already spanning four African nations.
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that → test → nations
The epidemic, first detected 3,000 km away in Democratic Republic of Congo in May, is the second-largest on record and had already hit Uganda and Kenya before the Nigerian case was confirmed on Tuesday — the widest known spread on the continent.
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case → detect → continent
The patient, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat, arrived in Nigeria's capital Abuja, a major travel hub, on October 3 after a two-week holiday in Uganda, Dr Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa's top public health body, told Reuters.
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Kaseya → bear → Reuters
She fell ill three days later, Kaseya said, citing the account given by Nigerian authorities.
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Kaseya → fall → authorities
Initially suspecting malaria, she sought treatment at several facilities before being tested for Ebola on October 19.
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she → suspect → October
"When we identified at-risk countries, Nigeria was not part of this list.
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Nigeria → identify → list
It is now," said Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Kaseya → say → Control
That list would have to be redrawn and North and Southern Africa could also be at risk, he added.
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he → have → risk
"We need to consider that no-one is safe today."
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one → need → ?
The late detection would complicate efforts to trace people the woman may have infected, he said.
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he → complicate → people
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone showing symptoms.
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Ebola → spread → symptoms
"We need to identify all the contacts...
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this one is a little bit tough for someone who took almost two weeks without being tested, coming into contact with health workers, family members, friends," Kaseya said.
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Kaseya → take → workers
Nigeria has identified 44 contacts so far, a number Kaseya and other Ebola experts said was bound to rise.
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Kaseya → identify → contacts
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is no vaccine or treatment.
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outbreak → cause → which
It has infected more than 9,500 people and killed more than 4,600 in Congo alone.
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It → infect → Congo
Uganda reported 20 cases in May and June, mostly imported from Congo, but the World Health Organization declared the country Ebola-free in August.
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Organization → report → August
Ugandan authorities have said the woman who fell ill in Nigeria had travelled to eastern Congo before transiting through Uganda.
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who → say → Uganda
Nigerian officials said they have not confirmed that.
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they → say → that
"Our case did not have confirmed travel to DRC.
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case → confirm → DRC
So we presume it was likely picked in Uganda," Nigeria's Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate told state television on Tuesday.
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Pate → presume → Tuesday
Kaseya said the Africa CDC was seeking clarification from both countries and from the woman herself.
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CDC → say → woman
Whether she was in Congo is an important question, said Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who sits on the World Health Organization's Ebola emergency committee.
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who → say → committee
If she was, it would reinforce worries about the efficacy of screening at borders and in airports, she said.
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she → reinforce → airports
If not, it would raise the possibility that she somehow got infected in Uganda.
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she → raise → Uganda
"Either way, it confirms that this is far from over," she said.
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she → confirm → ?
Nigerian officials have pointed to the country's handling of a case during the West African outbreak in 2014-2016, saying the country is fully prepared to deal with the disease.
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country → point → disease
But Dr Ayoade Alakija, a Nigerian physician and co-chair of a G7 committee for investment in global health, noted that the first case to reach Nigeria in that outbreak involved a patient who flew from Liberia and was immediately hospitalized.
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who → note → Liberia
"It's a very different scenario," she said.
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she → say → ?
The Aporia
