KEY POINTS
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Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in a woman who returned from Uganda on October 7, 2026.
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Uganda says travel through the country alone does not prove that the woman contracted the virus there.
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Nigeria has identified 44 contacts and placed the patient in isolation as authorities step up surveillance and contact tracing.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health has denied reports of an Ebola outbreak in the country following Nigeria’s confirmation of an imported case.
The Federal Government of Nigeria announced the infection on Tuesday, October 20, after laboratory tests confirmed that a woman who had recently travelled to East Africa had contracted the virus.
The case comes amid an ongoing outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with infections also reported in other countries in the region.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Uganda’s health ministry said the location where the Nigerian patient was exposed to the virus remained unknown.
The ministry argued that travelling through Uganda was not sufficient evidence to establish that the infection originated there.
Ugandan authorities also said Nigeria had not yet provided detailed information about the woman’s travel itinerary and clinical history, which they said would help determine where the exposure occurred and guide any necessary contact tracing.
Nigeria isolates patient and traces 44 contacts
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said laboratory tests confirmed the Ebola infection.
According to Pate, the patient returned to Nigeria from Uganda on October 7 with symptoms that progressed four days later.
The woman was admitted to a private hospital, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.
She has since been placed in isolation and is receiving medical care.
Nigerian authorities have identified 44 contacts linked to the case and commenced contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed to the virus.
The Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Capital Territory Health Secretariat, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners are coordinating efforts to contain the infection.
The government has also strengthened surveillance at entry points and urged public and private healthcare facilities to remain alert for suspected cases.
Pate has called on Nigerians to remain calm while cooperating with public health officials.
He urged healthcare workers to maintain a high level of suspicion when assessing patients with symptoms that could be consistent with Ebola, particularly those with relevant travel histories or potential exposure.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, severe weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea. However, these symptoms can also occur in other illnesses, so suspected cases require appropriate medical assessment and testing.
The minister advised the public to practise good hygiene, monitor their health and promptly seek medical attention if they develop concerning symptoms after possible exposure.
He said Nigeria was drawing on its experience in containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the public health systems established since then. The government also pledged to provide updates as investigations and containment measures continue.
