Nigeria has confirmed a case of Ebola Virus Disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), its first since the 2014 outbreak.
In a statement on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She is in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja.
44 contacts in isolation
Health officials have so far identified 44 close contacts, including health workers, other patients, caregivers and fellow travellers. They will be kept at a designated facility in Abuja for at least three weeks.
The contacts can speak with their families by phone but will have no physical contact with anyone “until we clarify who is infected and who is not,” Pate said in an interview with NTA.
The authorities have also obtained the passenger list of the patient’s flight to trace anyone who may have been exposed. Airline passengers who may have been exposed are being asked to come forward and follow public health instructions.
“An imported case, not community transmission”
The minister stressed that, for now, the virus is not spreading within the community. “At this moment, we are treating it as an imported case, not community transmission,” he said.
He added that the woman had no symptoms when she arrived and only fell ill afterwards. “This makes it less likely that the travel itself exposed folks at risk,” he said. Officials believe she was infected in Uganda, as she had no confirmed travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
What the government is doing
- All public and private hospitals have been told to be on high alert, to suspect Ebola early, isolate suspected cases and report them immediately.
- A Presidential Task Force on Ebola and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) are leading the response.
- Risk-based screening has been running at airports and borders for about five months through the NCDC and Port Health Services.
Symptoms to watch for
According to the minister, the variant involved is different from the better-known Zaire and Sudan strains. Symptoms include:
- Fever and headache
- Severe weakness, body aches and muscle pain
- Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea
- Bleeding, though this is less common with this variant
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials. It does not spread through the air like the flu.
What you should do
- Stay calm, and wash your hands often with soap and water.
- Avoid touching the blood or body fluids of anyone who is sick.
- If you think you have been exposed, report it even if you feel well.
- If you develop symptoms, avoid close contact with others and call ahead before going to a hospital.
- Call the NCDC’s free 24-hour line on 6232 for information or to report a suspected case.
The regional picture
The case comes amid a large outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, caused by the Bundibugyo virus. As of October 6, the WHO had recorded more than 8,700 confirmed cases and more than 4,200 deaths there. Uganda recorded 20 cases between May and June before declaring its outbreak over. Kenya has now confirmed nine cases. The Africa CDC has called for urgent global support.
Nigeria has beaten Ebola before
In 2014, a traveller from Liberia brought Ebola into Lagos. Nigeria recorded 19 confirmed cases and eight deaths, but contained the outbreak quickly. The WHO declared the country Ebola-free on October 20, 2014, exactly 12 years before this week’s announcement. “Nigeria successfully contained Ebola in 2014,” the government said, urging calm.
Flashinfong will keep updating this story. Source: Federal Ministry of Health statement, Premium Times.