Nigeria has confirmed a case of Ebola in a woman who recently travelled from Uganda, raising concerns about the spread of the virus beyond East and Central Africa.
The country’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said laboratory tests confirmed the woman had contracted the Bundibugyo virus on October 20, 2026. She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care at a hospital in Abuja.
According to the ministry, the woman arrived in Nigeria from Uganda before developing symptoms on October 7. She sought treatment at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11.
Health authorities have identified 44 people who had close contact with the patient and are monitoring them for possible symptoms. Investigations are also underway to establish the likely source of her infection and reconstruct her travel and exposure history.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its incident management system to coordinate the response, while infection prevention and control measures are being strengthened at the facility where the woman received treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are supporting Nigerian authorities with case investigations, contact tracing, infection control measures and essential supplies, including personal protective equipment for health workers.
WHO has also urged countries across the region to strengthen disease surveillance, maintain laboratory testing capacity and prepare rapid-response teams as the outbreak continues to evolve.
The Bundibugyo virus is a relatively rare species of Ebola for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment, although trials are underway.
Ebola is a severe viral disease that can spread through direct contact with the blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person. Symptoms may include vomiting and diarrhoea, and severe cases can lead to organ failure and, in some patients, internal or external bleeding.
Nigeria previously contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014. The latest case comes amid continued efforts to control the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and reports of infections in other countries, including Uganda and Kenya.
