Ebola Alert: FG Tracks Contacts After Imported Case in Abuja

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The Federal Government has commenced contact tracing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) after confirming an imported case of Ebola disease in an international traveler, with 44 close contacts currently under active surveillance.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed the development in a statement issued by the ministry’s Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, following laboratory confirmation on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

According to health authorities, the patient is a female traveler who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She was initially admitted to a private hospital in Abuja, where she received care for several days before testing confirmed the diagnosis. The patient is currently isolated and receiving specialized medical management.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the FCT Health Services Secretariat, and international health partners, has activated rapid response teams and containment protocols to prevent localized transmission.

Public and private healthcare facilities nationwide have been directed to heighten clinical suspicion, strictly adhere to infection prevention and control (IPC) standards, and immediately report suspected symptomatic cases to designated health authorities.