The Federal Government has confirmed one case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and identified 44 close contacts as authorities intensify efforts to prevent further spread of the infection.
The 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 statement, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She was reportedly admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the infection was confirmed.
The woman 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), and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are collaborating with other relevant authorities to contain the outbreak.
Public health teams have begun tracing the 44 identified contacts and are working to identify and monitor other individuals who may have been exposed, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who travelled with the patient.
Authorities have also intensified disease surveillance and are providing immediate support to the hospital where the woman was treated to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
The government has urged public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to remain vigilant. Healthcare workers have been advised to promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, maintain strict infection prevention protocols and immediately report suspected infections to public health authorities.
Pate urged Nigerians to remain calm and observe preventive measures, including regular handwashing and avoiding contact with the blood and other body fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola.
Symptoms to watch for include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, particularly among people who may have been exposed to the virus.
The government advised anyone who develops symptoms after a possible exposure to avoid close contact with others and contact public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility.
It also urged individuals contacted during the tracing exercise, including potentially exposed airline passengers, to cooperate with health officials and comply with medical guidance.
The confirmation comes amid a regional Ebola outbreak. According to the report, the NCDC had issued an advisory on October 6, warning of the risk of importing the infection following a confirmed case in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The World Health Organisation says Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected people, or through contaminated objects and surfaces. Infected people do not transmit the virus before symptoms develop, while the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after the virus was introduced by an infected traveller. The response involved rapid case identification, isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.
Pate expressed confidence in Nigeria’s public health response capacity but stressed that public cooperation would be essential to preventing further transmission.
The Federal Government said investigations were ongoing and that the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, alongside the NCDC, would continue to provide updates.
Members of the public can contact the NCDC’s toll-free call centre on 6232, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for information or to report a suspected case.
