NCDC: FCT Ebola patient is a diplomat suffering multi-organ failure

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has disclosed that a diplomat diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has developed multi-organ failure.

The agency said the diplomat’s health condition had deteriorated, raising concerns over the severity of the infection.

Ebola Bundibugyo is a rare and severe disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a member of the Orthoebolavirus genus.

The infection can cause Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of viral haemorrhagic fever in humans.

The strain was first identified in Uganda in 2007. It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials.

Multi-organ failure occurs when two or more organs in the body can no longer function properly, potentially becoming life-threatening and requiring urgent medical care.

On Tuesday, the federal government confirmed a case of Ebola disease in the FCT, detailing that it also identified 44 close contacts for tracing to prevent further transmission.

Ali Pate, minister of health and social welfare, said the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.

He said she was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.

“She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care,” Pate said.

“The Federal Minister of Health and Social Welfare and NCDC are working closely with the FCT Health Services Secretariat and other relevant authorities to contain the infection and prevent further spread.

“Contact tracing has commenced with 44 close contacts identified presently, with public health teams identifying and monitoring people who may have been exposed, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts.”

Speaking on Wednesday during an emergency incident management meeting in Abuja, Olajumoke Babatunde, NCDC’s director of the public health laboratory service, said the Ebola case detected in Nigeria is the Bundibugyo strain, which is behind a major DR Congo outbreak.

Babatunde added that the patient is experiencing multi-organ failure.

“We did three levels of tests, but all were molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” Babatunde said.

“This person is actually a diplomat,” another official said.

The official noted that the patient’s condition has deteriorated into “multi-organ failure”.

The official did not disclose the nationality of the diplomat.

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