Key facts
- Nigeria's only confirmed Ebola case is genetically linked to the virus strain found in Kenya's index case.
- Contacts of the Nigerian Ebola case are being traced, quarantined, and tested.
- Uganda remains Ebola-free but is tightening border precautions, including traveler forms and transit restrictions for those from the DRC.
Nigeria's health minister Muhammad Ali Pate announced on Friday that genomic analysis of the country's sole confirmed Ebola case shows the virus is closely related to the strain detected in Kenya's index case. This marks the first genetic link established between the outbreaks. Nigerian authorities have stated there is no evidence that the Kenya index case traveled to Nigeria or had a direct connection to the Nigerian case. Contacts linked to the Nigerian case are being traced, quarantined, and tested, with some results pending. Neighboring Uganda, which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reported it remained Ebola-free but was tightening precautions. Uganda's health ministry reinstated traveler locator forms for all arrivals and will not permit transit for travelers with a history of travel to the DRC, where the outbreak originated.