Nigeria identified 44 people for contact tracing after confirming a Bundibugyo Ebola case in Abuja, prompting the health ministry to urge medical facilities nationwide to be on high alert.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said the contacts include people connected to the patient’s travel, as well as caregivers, other patients and health workers. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) officials have activated the agency’s incident management system. The ministry said the private hospital treating the patient is receiving support, while the World Health Organization (WHO) said infection controls there are being strengthened.
The woman arrived in Nigeria on a flight from Uganda. WHO said she became ill Oct. 7, sought care in Abuja Oct. 11 and received a laboratory confirmation of Bundibugyo virus Oct. 20. She is isolated and receiving medical care. Investigators are reviewing her travel and exposure history; her likely source of infection remains under investigation.
The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was declared May 15, 2026. WHO said Nigeria is the fifth country to detect the virus during the outbreak. Kenya has reported nine cases linked to an imported case, WHO said. Kenya’s second patient was in quarantine when the case was confirmed Oct. 14.
A previous Ebola outbreak in Nigeria involved 19 confirmed cases, one probable case and eight deaths in 2014, according to WHO records. For the current outbreak, WHO has advised against restricting travel or trade with affected countries.
