Swiss diplomat's wife identified as Nigeria's first Ebola patient

Switzerland has confirmed that the woman who tested positive for Ebola in Nigeria is the wife of a Swiss embassy staff member in Abuja, as authorities continue efforts to contain the infection.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry said Friday that the woman had been hospitalized at a private clinic in Abuja for about a week after developing symptoms. She and her husband had recently travelled to Uganda, but neither had visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the current outbreak began.

Swiss authorities said the infection may have occurred during the trip to Uganda about two weeks ago. The woman's husband, who accompanied her, is in isolation and has shown no symptoms.

Nigeria announced its first confirmed Ebola case on Tuesday, identifying the patient as a woman who arrived in Abuja on a flight from Uganda. Health authorities have identified 44 contacts linked to the case.

On Wednesday, Nigerian authorities confirmed that the patient had contracted the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments.

Switzerland's Foreign Ministry said the other 25 staff members at its embassy in Abuja, including eight Swiss nationals and 17 local employees, were well and did not need to isolate following consultations with Nigeria's Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Bern is also considering the possible repatriation of the patient to Switzerland.

Nigeria is the fourth African country affected by the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, after the DRC, Uganda and Kenya.

The outbreak was first reported in northeastern DRC in May and later spread to Uganda. Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths, before declaring its outbreak over in August.

According to WHO figures cited in the report, the epidemic had exceeded 9,700 confirmed cases and 4,690 deaths as of October 20.