Nigeria confirms first Ebola case of current outbreak after traveller arrives from Uganda
Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case of the current outbreak — a woman who arrived in Abuja from Uganda — as the virus spreads across three regions of Africa.
Nigeria has confirmed its first case of Ebola in the current outbreak, after a woman who arrived in Abuja on an international flight from Uganda tested positive for the virus.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare announced the case on Tuesday, 20 October. The patient began showing symptoms on 7 October and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on 11 October; she is now in isolation and receiving medical care.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said authorities had identified 44 close contacts — including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts — and begun tracing them. “We are doing everything possible to contain this case by tracing all the contacts the individual may have had,” he said.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director general Jean Kaseya said the Nigerian case was the Bundibugyo strain, calling this outbreak “the most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history, affecting multiple countries across three regions of Africa”.
The outbreak, declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, has caused more than 9,500 confirmed infections and over 4,600 deaths — a fatality rate near 48 per cent. Kenya reported its ninth case on Tuesday, while Uganda, which saw 20 cases and two deaths earlier this year, was declared Ebola-free in August.
Nigeria last recorded Ebola cases in 2014, during the West African epidemic.
Sources
- Agence France-Presse: “Nigeria records first Ebola case”, 20 October 2026 — https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-nigeria-ebola-case.html
- Associated Press (via NPR Illinois): “Nigeria confirms an Ebola case in Abuja as a woman arriving from Uganda tests positive”, 20 October 2026 — https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-10-20/nigeria-confirms-an-ebola-case-in-abuja-as-a-woman-arriving-from-uganda-tests-positive
- Al Jazeera: “Nigeria confirms first Ebola case amid concerns about continental spread”, 20 October 2026 — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/20/kenya-confirms-ninth-ebola-case
- Agence France-Presse (via TRT Afrika): “Nigeria records first Ebola case in current outbreak”, 20 October 2026 — https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/e0290f2459e0
- The New Times (Rwanda): “Nigeria confirms Ebola case with 44 contacts”, 20 October 2026 — https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/39835/news/health/nigeria-confirms-ebola-case-with-44-contacts/amp
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