Switzerland's foreign ministry has confirmed that the
woman who tested positive for Ebola in Nigeria is the wife of a Swiss diplomat.
The 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman tested positive for
the virus on October 20, making her the country's first confirmed Ebola patient
in more than a decade. According to the ministry, she and her husband both
travelled to Uganda earlier this month. Her husband is currently in isolation
but has not developed any symptoms.
The ministry told the BBC that all 25 staff at its
embassy in Nigeria, made up of eight Swiss and 17 local employees, are in good
health and do not need to isolate. It said this decision was taken in
consultation with Nigeria's Ministry of Health and the World Health
Organization (WHO). The embassy remains open and operational, with health and
safety measures in place.
The ministry said the woman spent about a week at a
private clinic in Abuja with symptoms before her diagnosis was made. It
believes she contracted the virus while travelling in Uganda, although health
authorities have yet to establish the source of her infection.
Uganda borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, where
about 4,600 people have died in the country's deadliest Ebola outbreak. Two
people died in Uganda shortly after the outbreak began in May, but the country
has been declared Ebola-free since August.
The woman is receiving treatment in isolation and is
showing signs of improvement, according to the WHO.
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