The Federal Government has confirmed a case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and identified 44 close contacts as part of efforts to prevent the possible spread of the infection.
The Coordinating 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 case.
According to the minister, the infected person is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.
The woman was reportedly admitted to a private hospital in Abuja, where she received treatment for several days before laboratory tests confirmed that she had Ebola. She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is coordinating the emergency response alongside the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the FCT Health Services Secretariat and other relevant agencies.
FG Begins Contact Tracing
The government said public health officials had begun contact tracing, with 44 close contacts identified so far.
The exercise is aimed at identifying and monitoring people who may have been exposed to the infected woman. Those being considered include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and individuals who may have had contact with her during her journey.
Authorities are also strengthening disease surveillance and supporting the hospital where the patient was treated to ensure that appropriate infection prevention and control measures are in place.
As part of the response, the Federal Government has directed public and private healthcare facilities across the country to remain vigilant and promptly report suspected Ebola cases.
Healthcare workers have been advised to identify and isolate suspected cases without delay, follow strict infection prevention procedures and notify the appropriate public health authorities immediately.
Symptoms and How Ebola Spreads
The government explained that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms, or the body of someone who has died from the disease.
Transmission may also occur through contact with contaminated materials.
However, authorities stressed that people infected with Ebola do not transmit the virus before symptoms develop.
Symptoms of the disease may include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Nigerians have been urged to maintain proper hand hygiene and avoid contact with the blood and body fluids of anyone suspected of having the infection.
Anyone who believes they may have been exposed to the virus has been advised to contact public health authorities promptly.
People who develop symptoms after a possible exposure should avoid close contact with others and seek guidance from health officials before visiting a healthcare facility.
The government also urged individuals contacted by public health teams, including relevant airline passengers, to cooperate with the contact-tracing exercise and provide the information required by officials.
Citizens were further warned against spreading unverified information or stigmatising people who may have been exposed to the disease.
FG Recalls Nigeria’s Successful Ebola Response in 2014
Pate expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to manage the situation, citing the country’s successful containment of Ebola during the 2014 outbreak.
He, however, stressed that preventing further transmission would require cooperation among citizens, healthcare professionals, government agencies and other stakeholders.
The minister assured Nigerians that the Federal Government, the FCT authorities and their partners were working together to protect healthcare workers, patients and the general public.
Investigations into the case are ongoing, and further updates are expected from the Presidential Taskforce on Ebola Virus Disease and the NCDC.
Members of the public who require information or assistance have been advised to contact the NCDC’s toll-free helpline on 6232, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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