African health ministers will hold crisis talks on Ebola as Nigeria becomes the fourth country to confirm a case. The patient is now in isolation, while her contacts, including her spouse, a Swiss national, are being monitored.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for urgent action to contain the growing Ebola outbreak and is convening African health ministers to coordinate the response.

The outbreak began in Congo and has so far also spread to Kenya and Uganda; though Uganda insist there is no recorded case and that a transit through its territory does not equate to infection on Ugandan soil.

“Ebola is crossing borders. Our response must move faster, with stronger coordination, greater solidarity and decisive political leadership,” said Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC in apress release.

“We have the expertise and the capacity on this continent. We must mobilise them together to stop this outbreak and save lives,” he added.

Uganda, which declared itself Ebola-free in July after recording 20 cases, has denied claims that Nigeria’s first case originated there.

Nigerian authorities said they were tracing 44 contacts.

The patient, who entered Nigeria on 5 October, was initially treated for malaria but failed to recover, arousing suspicion among the attending physicians. The patient is now in isolation andreceiving medical care.

Ebola is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood and vomit, or via contact with contaminated materials and surfaces, such as bedding and clothing. Congo is experiencing its deadliest outbreak, with at least 4,000 deaths since May and 9,552 confirmed cases.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which no licensed vaccine or specific treatment exists, although trials are underway in Congo.