Nigeria has confirmed an Ebola case in a female patient who traveled from Uganda to Abuja, raising concerns about the possible spread of the virus beyond East Africa.

Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said laboratory tests confirmed the infection. The patient, who health sources told the BBC is a foreign national and the wife of a diplomat, is receiving medical care in isolation at a hospital in Abuja.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the woman developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria. Authorities have identified 44 close contacts and started contact tracing to reduce the risk of further transmission.

Nigeria is the first West African country to report a case linked to the current Ebola outbreak in East Africa. Health officials are investigating the woman’s travel history to determine where she may have contracted the virus.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health said preliminary information indicated that the woman passed through the country without symptoms. Uganda’s Director General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, said she had traveled to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) for business before transiting through Uganda in early October.

However, the exact location where she was exposed to the virus remains unclear. Nigerian authorities have not yet provided a complete account of her travel itinerary and clinical history.

The Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood and vomit. Symptoms can include vomiting and diarrhea, and severe cases may lead to organ failure and bleeding. The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.

The wider outbreak in DR Congo, which began in May, has resulted in at least 4,600 deaths and more than 9,500 recorded cases, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which no approved vaccine or treatment is currently available.

Kenya has also reported at least nine infections, while Uganda previously declared itself free of the disease in August after its last patient was discharged.

Nigerian health authorities have strengthened disease surveillance and urged the public to cooperate with contact-tracing teams. Travellers from countries with relevant Ebola transmission may also be required to complete health declaration forms.

Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014, which caused at least eight deaths.