BREAKING: Nigeria Confirms Ebola Case in Woman Arriving From Uganda To FCT
The Federal Government has confirmed a case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with health authorities identifying 44 close contacts and beginning contact tracing to prevent further transmission.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, following laboratory confirmation of the infection.
According to the minister, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before tests confirmed the disease.
The woman has since been placed in isolation and is receiving medical care.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are working with other relevant agencies to contain the infection and prevent further spread.
Public health teams have begun tracing the 44 identified contacts and are working to locate others who may have been exposed to the virus. These include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who may have had contact with the patient during her journey.
Authorities have also stepped up disease surveillance, while the hospital where the woman was treated is receiving urgent support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
FG Alerts Hospitals Nationwide
The Federal Government has urged public and private healthcare facilities across the country to remain vigilant and promptly report suspected Ebola cases.
Healthcare workers have been directed to maintain a high index of suspicion, identify and isolate suspected cases without delay, observe strict infection prevention and control procedures, and immediately notify public health authorities of any suspected infection.
Pate urged Nigerians to remain calm while observing recommended preventive measures, including regular handwashing and avoiding contact with the blood and other body fluids of anyone suspected of having the disease.
He listed symptoms to watch for as fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, particularly among people who may have been exposed to the virus.
Anyone who develops symptoms should avoid close contact with others and contact public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility, the minister advised.
The government also appealed to people contacted by public health teams, including airline passengers who may have been exposed to the infection, to provide the necessary information and comply with official instructions.
Nigeria Monitors Regional Ebola Threat
The confirmation comes amid concerns about Ebola transmission in the region.
In an advisory issued on October 6, the NCDC warned about the risk of importing the infection into Nigeria following a confirmed case in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to the World Health Organisation, Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, as well as contaminated objects and surfaces.
Infected people do not transmit the virus before symptoms appear, while the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
Nigeria previously dealt with an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller introduced the virus into the country. Authorities contained the outbreak through rapid case identification, isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.
Reassuring Nigerians, Pate said the country had the experience and public health structures needed to respond to the confirmed case. However, he stressed that public cooperation would be essential to preventing further transmission.
The Federal Government said investigations were continuing and that the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, alongside the NCDC, would provide further updates as the situation develops.
Members of the public can contact the NCDC’s toll-free call centre on 6232, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for information or to report a suspected case.
