By David Oluwatosin
The Federal Government has confirmed a case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, with 44 contacts identified as health authorities intensify surveillance and containment measures to prevent further transmission.
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 infection in a woman who recently travelled to Nigeria from Uganda.
According to the minister, the woman arrived in Nigeria on an international flight and received treatment at a private hospital in the FCT for several days before the infection was confirmed.
She has since been isolated and is receiving medical care, while health authorities have activated coordinated emergency response measures.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are working together to contain the infection and prevent further spread.
The authorities have commenced contact tracing for the 44 identified individuals and are making efforts to locate others who may have been exposed to the patient.
Those being traced include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who travelled with the infected woman.
The government has also intensified disease surveillance and is supporting the private hospital where the patient was treated to strengthen infection prevention and control measures and minimise the risk of further exposure.
As part of the nationwide response, public and private healthcare facilities have been directed to remain vigilant and promptly report suspected Ebola cases.
Pate urged healthcare workers to identify and isolate suspected patients without delay while maintaining strict infection prevention and control procedures.
He appealed to Nigerians to remain calm but exercise caution, particularly by observing good hygiene and avoiding contact with the blood and other body fluids of anyone suspected of having the disease.
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The minister identified symptoms of Ebola to include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea.
He advised anyone who develops such symptoms, particularly those who may have been exposed to an infected person, to seek guidance from public health authorities.
“Anyone who develops symptoms should avoid close contact with others and call public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility,” the statement advised.
The government also appealed to individuals contacted by disease surveillance teams, including potentially exposed airline passengers, to provide accurate information and comply with official instructions.
The confirmation comes amid growing concerns over the risk of Ebola transmission across African countries.
In an advisory issued on October 6, the NCDC warned of the risk of importing the disease following a confirmed case in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected people, as well as contaminated objects and surfaces.
According to the WHO, infected individuals do not transmit the virus before symptoms appear, while the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller introduced the virus into the country. The outbreak was controlled through rapid identification of cases, isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.
Pate said Nigeria could draw on the experience and capacity developed during the 2014 outbreak, alongside existing public health systems, to manage the current case.
However, he emphasised that public cooperation would be critical to containing the infection and preventing further transmission.
The government said investigations were ongoing, adding that the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease and the NCDC would provide further updates as necessary.
Members of the public seeking information or wishing to report a suspected case can contact the NCDC through its toll-free line, 6232, available at any time.
