The Ebola epidemic in Africa has passed the 10,000 confirmed cases mark. According to health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 10,060 people have been infected and 4,887 have died.
The virus was first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May. Health authorities describe the current outbreak as the deadliest in the country's history, with the majority of registered cases there.
Spread to several countries
Cases have also been detected in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. The World Health Organization has warned that containing the outbreak is “complex” task, as the outbreak spans the eastern, western and central parts of the continent.
An additional challenge is the causative agent - the rare Bundibujo variant of the Ebola virus. There are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for it, limiting the medical resources available to combat the epidemic.
Uganda was declared Ebola-free in late August, after the country had recorded a total of 20 cases and two deaths. Kenya reported its first case on October 6. The country had not reported any cases up until then, but has since reported two deaths.
First case in Nigeria
The only confirmed case in Nigeria is a Swiss national who contracted the virus after traveling to Uganda with her husband. The woman has been evacuated back to Switzerland.
Nigerian health authorities have identified 53 people who had been in contact with her in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus in Africa's most populous country.
According to the timeline, the woman arrived back in Nigeria on October 3. Her symptoms appeared on October 7 and she sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11. A test for the Bundibujo virus came back positive on October 20.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids. Because of the time between the woman's arrival, the onset of symptoms and the confirmation of the diagnosis, experts fear that the virus may have spread after she returned to Nigeria.
Sources: france24.com