Nigeria has reported its first Ebola case in more than a decade, involving a woman believed to have contracted the virus while traveling in Uganda, according to a statement from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The patient, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, has been receiving treatment in a private clinic in Nigeria’s capital for approximately one week.

The Nigerian case marks the country as the fourth in Africa to be affected by the ongoing Ebola outbreak, which was first declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in mid-May and has become the fastest-spreading recorded outbreak of the disease. Despite initial reports from Ugandan authorities suggesting the woman had traveled through eastern Congo before passing through Uganda, both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa’s top health agency reported no confirmed evidence that she had visited the DRC.

The WHO stated that the information received indicates the patient traveled to Uganda on September 16 and returned to Abuja on October 3, without documented travel outside Uganda during that period. Pavel Ursu, WHO’s representative to Nigeria, said at a press conference that the Nigerian authorities are concentrating efforts on containing the infection. The patient remains hospitalized, with laboratory markers showing signs of improvement.

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the woman likely contracted Ebola during her travels in Uganda approximately two weeks prior to falling ill. Her husband, who was traveling with her, is currently in isolation but has not exhibited any symptoms.

Uganda had reported 20 Ebola cases in May and June, mostly imported from the DRC, but was declared Ebola-free by the WHO in August. Officials from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) confirmed that Nigeria and Uganda are collaborating to trace the patient’s movements and identify the source of exposure. Wessam Mankoula, an Africa CDC official, noted that to date, there is no validated information indicating the patient traveled to the DRC.

Efforts are ongoing in Nigeria to monitor all potential contacts and prevent wider transmission as health authorities work to contain the outbreak within the country.