Reports of an Ebola case in Nigeria dominates newspapers across the country Credit REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun Ben Farmer Africa Correspondent. David Ochami in Nairobi 4:22pm BST African ministers have been called to an urgent health summit after Nigeria confirmed its first case in the outbreak of the deadly Ebola fever tearing through eastern Congo.

Confirmation of a case in Africa’s most populous nation came days after a cluster was detected in Kenya and has heightened questions about border screening checks designed to stop the virus spreading from its epicentre in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

With cases now found in West Africa, Central Africa and East Africa, the epidemic “has already become the most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history,” said Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the continent’s main public health body.

DRC has recorded close to 10,000 cases since an outbreak began in mid-May with around half of them dying of the haemorrhagic fever.

The Nigeria case meant “Ebola is now affecting three regions of Africa,” warned Dr Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The situation demands urgent action and political leadership at the highest level,” he said, convening an online summit for next week.

The Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja AP/Afolabi Sotunde Nigeria said its first case of the virus in a decade was confirmed in a female Ugandan diplomat who had travelled from Uganda via Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, arriving on October 5.

She began feeling unwell two days later and sought treatment at a private hospital on October 11 with malaria-like symptoms, but her condition did not improve. She was tested for Ebola on October 19 and a positive result was confirmed the next day.

Authorities have identified 44 contacts, most of them healthcare workers. They included the patient’s husband, a Swiss national who lives with her in Abuja.

However Uganda, which declared itself Ebola-free in July after recording 20 cases, denied the case originated there and said the unidentified woman had previously been in DRC.

The woman is infected with the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the DRC outbreak and for which there is no vaccine nor specific treatment. Doctors said she has deteriorated into “multi-organ failure”.

Health experts are worried at the spread of the disease Ayoade Alakija, a Nigerian physician who co-chairs a G7 committee for investment in global health, told Reuters she was worried at the spread of the disease. “My concern, now that this has spread from East Africa to West Africa, is that we now have a pan-African event, as opposed to a few at-risk countries.”

She also noted that it was 12 days between the woman falling sick and her being tested for Ebola, potentially exposing many other people to the infection. “Abuja is one of Africa’s main cities ... with air and road connections daily, multiple, across the world. It’s a very different prospect – and that’s what worries me – the amount of time it took.”

Kenya meanwhile announced a ninth case, all of them linked to a businessman who had travelled from DRC to Uganda and then Nairobi before dying. All the Kenyan cases are either members of his close family, or medical staff who had treated him. Kenyan health experts told the Telegraph that the country had been quick to trace those coming into contact with the sick businessman, once he was diagnosed.

However there were major concerns the case had not been spotted entering the country, and that health workers had been infected while treating him.

Authorities have identified 44 contacts, most of them healthcare workers Dr Ahmed Kalebi, a consultant pathologist and researcher in the public health of infections, said: “This raises serious questions about early preparedness and infection prevention. More regular, structured public briefings would also improve transparency and confidence.”

He said while Kenya had strong laboratories, and experienced doctors and public health teams, the capacity was uneven around the country. “Not every facility has immediately accessible personal protective equipment (PPE), functional isolation space or consistently implemented protocols. “I’m afraid that in the event of community spread and a full outbreak, Kenya doesn’t have the capacity and lacks experience as demonstrated by Rwanda or Uganda. Things can get out of hand.”

He warned that the health system needed to be prepared, adding: “The core lesson is that preparedness must begin before an infected traveller arrives, not after laboratory confirmation. “Screening based on temperature and symptoms can miss infections; stronger risk-based assessment and regional information sharing are needed. Health faculties must be primed to be vigilant in taking travel history and ensuring all those coming from DRC or Uganda are handled with the stringent care needed, because most hospital staff are not trained or alert to Ebola.”Dr Dennis Miskellah, national deputy secretary general of the doctors’ union, echoed the warning.

“The lessons to be learnt are that we should have done better at our ports of entry and not assume that our neighbours were doing their part. This patient crossed Congo and Uganda undetected.”He added: “The lack of PPE in most facilities and lack of proper training on their use has been our weakest point.”Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security