Nigeria Reports First Ebola Case, WHO Monitors Situation

Nigeria confirmed one case of Ebola on October 20, 2026, making it the fifth country to detect the virus since an outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15, 2026. The patient is a woman who traveled to Uganda, with symptoms beginning on October 7, four days after her arrival in Nigeria.

She sought treatment at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11, and laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20. The woman is currently in isolation and receiving medical care, while 44 contacts have been identified and are being monitored.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of infection and her travel history. The World Health Organization is collaborating with Nigerian health authorities to enhance response measures, including case investigation and contact tracing.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its incident management system to coordinate the response, and infection prevention measures are being strengthened at the facility where the patient was treated.