The Federal Government has confirmed an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and identified 44 close contacts as health authorities intensify efforts to prevent the disease from spreading.
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.
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.
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 coordinating the response alongside other relevant authorities.
FG Begins Contact Tracing
The government said public health teams had begun tracing the 44 identified contacts while working to identify and monitor other people who might have been exposed to the infection.
Those being considered include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who may have had contact with the woman during her journey.
Surveillance has also been intensified, while the hospital where the patient received treatment is being supported to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
The government has directed public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to remain on high alert.
Healthcare workers have been urged to maintain a high index of suspicion, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, observe strict infection prevention protocols and immediately report suspected infections to public health authorities.
FG Lists Ebola Symptoms, Issues Public Advisory
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 to avoid close contact with others and contact public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility.
People contacted by public health teams during the tracing exercise, including potentially exposed airline passengers, have also been urged to provide the required information and comply with official instructions.
Members of the public can call the NCDC’s toll-free number, 6232, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for information or to report a suspected case.
Nigeria Responds to Ebola Threat
The confirmation comes amid an evolving regional Ebola outbreak.
The NCDC had raised concerns in an October 6 advisory about the risk of importing the infection following a confirmed case in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to the World Health Organisation, Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected people, as well as contaminated objects and surfaces.
People infected with the virus do not transmit it before symptoms develop. 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 response involved rapid case identification, isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.
Reassuring Nigerians, Pate said the country had the experience and public health systems required to respond to the current case. However, he 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, working alongside the NCDC, would continue to provide updates.
