Martha Udom
ABUJA — Nigeria has confirmed one imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare announced on Tuesday,October 20,2026, that the patient is a woman with a recent travel history to Uganda. She developed symptoms on October 7, 2026, four days after her arrival in Nigeria, and sought care at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11,2026.
Laboratory tests confirmed the Bundibugyo virus on October 20. She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.
According to the Ministry, 44 contacts have been identified and are being monitored, while efforts have been intensified to trace other persons who may have been exposed. Investigations are ongoing to establish the likely source of infection and reconstruct her full travel and exposure history.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health said preliminary information indicated the woman had travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for business and transited through Uganda without symptoms. Uganda said it has no confirmed active Ebola cases.
This makes Nigeria the fifth country to detect the virus since an outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15, 2026.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has activated its Incident Management System to coordinate the response.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are working closely with Nigerian health authorities to strengthen control measures, while urging countries in the region to sustain a high level of readiness.
