The Federal Government has confirmed one case of Ebola disease in Abuja and identified 44 close contacts as health authorities begin efforts to prevent further transmission.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the laboratory-confirmed infection in a statement on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
According to the statement, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She received treatment at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.
The woman is now in isolation and receiving medical care.
Health teams trace contacts
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are coordinating the response alongside other relevant authorities.
Public health teams have begun tracing the 44 identified contacts and are working to identify other people who may have been exposed. Those being assessed include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts.
The contacts are people identified for follow-up because of possible exposure; they have not been announced as confirmed Ebola cases.
Surveillance strengthened at treatment facility
Authorities have intensified surveillance and are providing immediate support to the private hospital where the woman received treatment to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
The response is focused on identifying possible exposures, monitoring contacts and preventing further transmission while the patient receives care.
How Ebola spreads
According to the World Health Organization, Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, or with objects and materials contaminated by those fluids. Early supportive treatment can improve survival.
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