The first Nigerian confirmed Ebola case is the wife of a diplomat who had travel to Uganda's capital for a holiday, the head of Africa's health agency has told the BBC.
The affected patient is originally from Uganda based in Abuja, she fell ill three days after arriving to Nigeria on 3rd October, according to Dr Jean Kaseya from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nigeria's health minister has confirmed to the BBC that the 42-year-old patient spent two and a half weeks in Kampala, adding that she also made a two-hour stopover in Ethiopia capital on her return.
Currently She's stable and improving, Muhammad Ali Pate said.
The authorities were working to prevent the virus from spreading and had identified 44 people who had been in contact with the woman, who tested positive for Ebola on Tuesday, the minister said.
Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said 46 to 44 people who had come in contact with the woman at the hospital and two people who worked in her home had been banned from boarding flights.
Nigeria has also stepped-up Ebola surveillance at its international airports following confirmation of its first case, measures include health screenings, temperature checks, tracking travellers' movements and digital health declarations, Mr Keyamo said.
Neighboring country Cameroon has also stepped up surveillance at its airports and ports. None of the contacts, who are now in isolation, are known to have developed symptoms, including the person the patient travelled with, the health minister said, adding that the woman had not travelled outside Abuja since landing.
Kaseya explained that the woman had first developed symptoms on 6 October when she had sought medical help.
"She went to the first hospital, a private hospital, thinking that she had malaria, and then she went to the second private hospital. She was admitted on the 11th," he told the BBC's Newshour programme.
Malaria is endemic in Nigeria and its symptoms - a high temperature, headaches, muscle aches, vomiting and or diarrhoea - are similar to those of Ebola.
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