Switzerland has identified the woman diagnosed with Ebola in Nigeria as a Swiss national married to an employee of its embassy in Abuja.
The Swiss foreign ministry disclosed this on Friday, adding that the woman and her husband had recently travelled to Uganda but had not visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the current outbreak is centred.
Nigeria announced its first confirmed Ebola case on Tuesday, identifying the patient as a woman who arrived in Abuja on a flight from Uganda. Authorities have since identified 44 contacts linked to the case.
The Nigerian authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the patient was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsible for the current outbreak in the DRC. There are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the strain.
In a statement on Friday, Switzerland’s foreign ministry said the patient was “the wife of a Swiss member of staff” at its embassy in Abuja.
“The Swiss woman, who is symptomatic, has been hospitalised for about a week at a private clinic in Abuja,” the ministry said.
It added that the infection could have been contracted during her recent trip to Uganda.
“The infection may have occurred during a trip to Uganda approximately two weeks ago,” the Swiss authorities added.
The woman’s husband, who travelled with her, has been placed in isolation but has not developed any symptoms.
“Her husband is in isolation; he has shown no symptoms. He accompanied his wife on the trip, during which she is believed to have contracted the Ebola virus,” the statement said.
The ministry further clarified that “Neither individual travelled” to the DRC.
It also reported that the remaining 25 embassy employees, comprising eight Swiss nationals and 17 local staff, were in good health.
Following consultations with Nigeria’s health ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO), the embassy staff were not required to undergo isolation, according to the statement.
Switzerland is also considering the “potential repatriation of the patient” to the European country.
Nigeria is the fourth African country affected by the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, following the DRC, Uganda and Kenya.
The outbreak began in northeastern DRC in May before spreading to neighbouring Uganda. The Ugandan outbreak recorded 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths, before it was officially declared over in August.
According to WHO figures released as of October 20, the epidemic has recorded more than 9,700 confirmed cases and 4,690 deaths.
