Chidinma Iroegbu
The Federal Government has directed healthcare facilities nationwide to strengthen surveillance, isolate suspected Ebola cases promptly and report infections immediately, following the confirmation of an imported case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the laboratory-confirmed case in Abuja on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, identifying the infection as Bundibugyo ebolavirus in a woman who recently travelled from Uganda.
Pate said the woman developed symptoms on October 7 and sought treatment at a private hospital in the FCT on October 11. She is now in isolation and receiving medical care, while health authorities monitor the situation.
The government has identified 44 contacts, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel-related contacts. Contact tracing is ongoing to locate other people who may have been exposed and monitor their health.
The response involves the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), FCT health authorities, World Health Organisation and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance has also been intensified to limit further transmission.
Pate said the private hospital where the patient received treatment was receiving support to strengthen infection prevention and control. He urged health workers to observe safety protocols and asked people contacted by tracing teams, including potentially exposed passengers, to cooperate with officials.
“We are doing everything possible to contain this case by tracing all the contacts the individual may have had,” the minister said. He also cited Nigeria’s containment of the 2014 Ebola outbreak as evidence of the country’s experience in responding to the disease.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or through contaminated materials. Pate advised Nigerians to practise hand hygiene and watch for fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, particularly after possible exposure.
The minister urged the public to remain calm, avoid stigmatising potentially exposed persons and disregard unverified social media reports. He said the incident management system had been activated and that the government, under President Bola Tinubu’s directives, would continue providing updates as investigations progressed.
Members of the public have been advised to seek information from official health authorities and report suspected cases through the NCDC’s toll-free line, 6232, which operates 24 hours daily. The immediate priority, Pate said, is to identify contacts and prevent further transmission.