The Federal Government has confirmed one case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, with 44 close contacts identified as authorities intensify efforts to prevent further spread.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in a statement issued on October 20, 2026, following laboratory confirmation of the infection.
According to the statement, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.
She was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed. She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the FCT Health Services Secretariat and other relevant authorities are working together to contain the infection.
Contact tracing has commenced, with the 44 contacts identified including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts. Public health teams are tracing and monitoring people who may have been exposed.
Surveillance has also been intensified, while the hospital is receiving support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
The government has directed public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to remain on high alert, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, and report them to public health authorities.
Meanwhile the Federal Government urged Nigerians to remain calm but vigilant, explaining that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or someone who has died from the disease. Transmission can also occur through contaminated materials.
It noted that infected persons cannot transmit the disease before symptoms begin.
Members of the public were advised to practise regular hand hygiene, avoid contact with the body fluids of suspected cases, and watch for symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Anyone who suspects exposure should contact public health authorities promptly, even if they feel well. Those who develop symptoms should avoid close contact with others and seek guidance before visiting a healthcare facility.
The government also urged Nigerians to cooperate with contact-tracing teams and avoid spreading unverified information or stigmatising people who may have been exposed.
Reassuring the public, the statement recalled Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014, adding that early detection, prompt reporting and public cooperation remained critical to preventing further transmission.
The government said investigations were ongoing and promised further updates.
The NCDC’s toll-free call centre is available 24 hours daily. Members of the public can call 6232 for information or to report a suspected case.
The statement was signed by Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
