Mushitags

A woman treated for Bundibugyo Ebola in Nigeria was flown to Switzerland on Monday, October 26, after her condition stabilized. The Nigerian health minister said she was conscious and communicating, but cautioned that improvement did not establish that she was no longer infectious. The 42-year-old arrived in Abuja from Uganda via Addis Ababa on October 3, developed symptoms four days later and tested positive on October 20, according to the [Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s situation report](https://ncdc.gov.ng/themes/common/files/sitreps/744b4bc76b369a13131b628b07de871b.pdf). The evacuation was confirmed by Nigeria’s health minister and the World Health Organization’s Africa director; [AP reported](https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-ebola-switzerland-patient-transfer-6390efb6d55bb43a40695425ef2317fb) that the couple arrived in Switzerland the same day. Swiss authorities said the patient is receiving specialist care at Geneva University Hospitals. Her husband, a Swiss diplomat who has shown no symptoms, is isolated at University Hospital Zurich. The Geneva authorities say the hospitals are equipped for such cases and that Switzerland’s public faces no risk. The couple were separated for care and monitoring under health protocols. Nigeria’s health minister said the country had no Ebola cases after the transfer, but its response is not over: 52 contacts remain under monitoring there. Switzerland is following the husband, the 53rd contact. The NCDC’s October 24 report listed 53 contacts, including health workers and domestic staff. A suspected case in Rivers State tested negative. Investigators have not established how the woman was infected. The patient had travelled in Uganda, and Switzerland told AP she had not visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Africa CDC says the first confirmed cases in Nigeria and Kenya both passed through Uganda’s Entebbe airport on October 3; this is a lead being investigated, not proof that the patients met or infected one another. As of October 20, the [WHO counted 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths in Congo](https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON622), with nine cases in Kenya. The cross-border tracing comes as response workers face security threats in Congo, including the killing of a nurse covered in [our earlier report](https://www.mushimu.com/post/9142). ~World ~Science

Egypt’s parliament voted on Monday, October 26, to authorize President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to take “all necessary measures” to support Saudi Arabia’s defense, according to the House statement published by [Ahram Online](https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/580951/Egypt/UPDATED-Egypt%E2%80%99s-parliament-authorizes-ElSisi-to-su.aspx). The measure passed by a two-thirds majority after closed sessions on October 18, 19 and 26. It empowers the president; it does not itself announce that Egyptian forces have deployed. The authorization came after el-Sissi asked lawmakers to approve defensive assistance if Riyadh sought Egypt’s help. The public statement says any measures would be coordinated with Saudi Arabia and protect its territory, sovereignty and holy sites from external aggression. It gives no unit, equipment or timetable. Reporting on possible implementation is not fully specific: Reuters quoted a senior legislator saying forces would be sent at Saudi Arabia’s request, while an unnamed regional official told the Associated Press that options could include air defenses and aircraft, but no Egyptian ground troops. No formal Saudi request or deployment date was announced in the parliamentary statement. Cairo has drawn a line around the mission. El-Sissi said on October 21 that Egypt would defend Saudi territory and borders, not launch attacks on Yemen. The vote followed Houthi claims of strikes on Riyadh airport and Saudi oil infrastructure; as [our earlier report explains](https://www.mushimu.com/post/9149), Saudi authorities confirmed an incoming missile was intercepted, while the claimed damage to the airport and pipeline remained unverified. The decision could bring Egypt more directly into a conflict that threatens Red Sea shipping. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is the southern gateway to the Suez Canal, a major trade route and an economic concern for Cairo. Egypt supported the Saudi-led Yemen campaign in 2015, mainly with naval forces, but today’s authorization does not specify whether any assistance will be requested or what form it would take. The next step depends on coordination between Cairo and Riyadh; the scale and timing remain unknown. ~World ~War

Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) is scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, local time. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) says flights scheduled after 5 p.m. Saturday and all Sunday services at PVR have been canceled. Manzanillo’s airport (ZLO) is scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. Sunday for general aviation and Mexican Navy operations, weather permitting. Airlines have canceled all scheduled commercial flights there for Sunday. GAP says reopening and operations depend on weather and safety inspections. It advises passengers to contact their airline and avoid going to the terminals during closures. The National Hurricane Center’s 9 p.m. CST Saturday advisory placed Hurricane Simon about 65 miles (105 km) south-southwest of Manzanillo, with sustained winds of 155 mph (250 km/h), moving north. The NOAA forecast graphic below is from that advisory; conditions and airport operations can change. This is a travel update to our earlier [storm briefing](https://www.mushimu.com/post/8896). Sources: [GAP: Puerto Vallarta closure](https://aeropuertosgap.com.mx/files/Comunicados/20261010_Comunicado_Cierre_temporal_Aeropuerto_Internacional_de_Puerto_Vallarta.pdf) · [GAP: Manzanillo closure](https://aeropuertosgap.com.mx/files/Comunicados/20261010_Comunicado_Cierre_Temporal_ZLO_Huracan_Simon.pdf) · [NHC advisory 15](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPEP5+shtml/102057.shtml) · [AP reporting](https://apnews.com/article/1e6f590459e5ee4ead370192f52f9239). ~world ~worldnews ~hurricane