Lagos, Nigeria, the most populous city in Africa, reported its first confirmed case of the Ebola virus. (CC/Stefan Magdalinski)

LAGOS, Nigeria, July 25 (UPI) -- The first case of the Ebola virus in Lagos, Nigeria, was confirmed after the death of a man who collapsed while arriving at Logos' airport.

The most populous city in Africa now has a confirmed case of the highly contagious virus that has spread across three countries and killed at least 660 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since it was first diagnosed in February. Abdulsalami Nasidi, project director at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, attributed the death of Patrick Sawyer, 40, to the Ebola virus. Sawyer traveled from Sierra Leone to Nigeria, with a stop in Togo. His sister is believed to have died of exposure to Ebola.


The virus, which causes fever, then internal and external bleeding, has thus come to an urban area after it spread across a wide, but rural, geographical area. There is no known cure, and weak national health systems and easy travel across borders have hindered efforts to contain it.

Authorities in Lagos said they sought the passenger manifest of the plane Sawyer was on, to warn the other passengers. They also began providing protective garments to local health care workers.