Congo Ebola cases exceed 10,000 as Nigeria investigates source of infection

The Ebola outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, according to CBC News. By October, infections beyond Congo were raising fears of a wider regional crisis.

Nigeria reported its first case in more than a decade on October 21. Al Jazeera reported that the infection matched the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the Congo outbreak, bringing that outbreak to West Africa for the first time.

On October 21, the BBC reported that Nigeria's patient was the wife of a diplomat based in Abuja and had travelled to Kampala for a holiday. Her diagnosis raised an immediate question about where she had become infected.

On October 23, Reuters reported the Swiss government's statement that she had not travelled to Congo. That same day, the BBC reported that Nigeria's patient and Kenya's first patient had both passed through Entebbe International Airport on October 3. Officials were investigating whether they had crossed paths, not reporting a confirmed transmission link.

Kenya announced its second Ebola death on October 23. The patient was a 65-year-old woman, a close relative of the first patient, who developed symptoms during quarantine, according to Deutsche Welle. Al Jazeera reported that authorities said there was no evidence of community spread.

On October 26, Nigeria's patient was evacuated to Switzerland. Nigerian authorities continued monitoring 52 people who had been in contact with her, The Independent reported. Euronews also reported that Uganda was restricting travel.

By October 27, Congo's case count had surpassed 10,000, according to government data reported by Sky News. The outlet also reported that a nurse treating Ebola patients had been killed by a machete-wielding mob.

Congo remains the centre of the outbreak, while the infection identified in Nigeria has extended its reach into West Africa. The World Health Organization warned of a "complex" outbreak after the spread to Nigeria, France24 reported.

The coverage gives conflicting country totals. Al Jazeera reported four affected countries on October 23, while BMJ described Nigeria as the fifth country affected that same day. The supplied reports do not resolve that discrepancy.

Kenya's October 24 update said seven remaining patients were receiving treatment at two isolation facilities and no new infections had been reported, according to The Hindu. That update does not establish that transmission has ended.

The source of Nigeria's infection remains a central unanswered question. Investigators are examining the possible airport overlap with Kenya's first patient, while the Swiss government says Nigeria's patient never visited Congo, according to the BBC and Reuters.

Nigeria's monitoring of 52 contacts is another concrete test of containment, as reported by The Independent. In Congo, the rising case count and the killing of a nurse add urgency to efforts to keep treatment available, following the developments reported by Sky News.