FG Confirms Ebola Case In Abuja, Begins Tracing 44 Contacts

The Federal Government has confirmed a case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and identified 44 contacts as health authorities intensify efforts 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 on an international flight and received treatment at a private hospital in the FCT for several days before doctors confirmed the diagnosis. She is now 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 have launched a coordinated response to contain the infection.

Health officials have started tracing the 44 identified contacts while working to locate others who may have encountered the patient. These include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who travelled with her.

Authorities have also stepped up disease surveillance and are supporting the hospital where the woman received treatment. The intervention aims to strengthen infection prevention and control measures and reduce the risk of further exposure.

The government has directed public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to remain vigilant and promptly report suspected cases.

It also urged health workers to identify and isolate suspected patients without delay and maintain strict infection prevention procedures.

Pate advised Nigerians to remain calm but take precautions against the disease.

He urged the public to wash their hands regularly and avoid contact with the blood or other body fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola.

Symptoms include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea. The minister urged people who develop these symptoms, particularly those who may have encountered 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 people contacted by disease surveillance teams, including potentially exposed airline passengers, to provide accurate information and follow official instructions.

The latest confirmation comes amid concerns over Ebola transmission in parts of Africa. In an advisory issued on October 6, the NCDC warned about 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.

Infected people do not transmit the virus before symptoms appear. 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. Authorities controlled the outbreak through rapid case identification, isolation, contact tracing and coordinated public health interventions.

Pate said Nigeria could draw on that experience and its existing public health systems to manage the current case. However, he stressed that public cooperation remained essential to preventing further transmission.

The government said investigations were continuing, while the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease and the NCDC would provide further updates as necessary.

Members of the public can call the NCDC’s toll-free number, 6232, at any time to obtain information or report a suspected case.