How we are responding to new Ebola case in Abuja — Minister

Nigeria is tracing contacts and mobilising international support to contain the new Ebola case confirmed in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has said.

Mr Pate outlined the government’s response during an appearance on NTA’s Network News at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

The government had earlier confirmed that a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda tested positive for Ebola. She is in isolation and receiving care at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The minister said countries including Indonesia had offered support, adding that Nigerian public health officials were drawing on their experience of containing the disease in 2014.

“The government is on top of it,” he said.

“We have mobilised our partners globally, right from Indonesia and other countries that we have been in communication with, have offered their own support, in addition to the tremendous expertise and experience of Nigerian public health officials, who have had experience dealing with Ebola in 2014,” he said.

Contact tracing and testing

Mr Pate said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had the laboratory capacity to detect the virus responsible for the infection.

He said health authorities were working with the aviation sector to obtain passenger manifests and identify people who might have been exposed during the patient’s journey.

According to the minister, the woman had no symptoms while travelling but became ill after arriving in Nigeria.

He said 44 contacts had been traced and were undergoing quarantine measures.

Mr Pate described the virus detected as different from the Sudan and Zaire viruses of Ebola but did not name it in the remarks provided for this report.

He also stressed the importance of accurate travel histories in identifying suspected infections, particularly among people who recently visited affected countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya and Uganda.

The symptoms he highlighted included headache, nausea, vomiting and muscle aches.

Ebola is a severe infectious disease that can be fatal without prompt medical attention. However, early detection, appropriate treatment and effective public health measures can significantly improve patients’ chances of survival and reduce the risk of transmission.

Coordinated response

In its earlier statement confirming the case, the federal government said it was working with FCT authorities and other partners to protect healthcare workers, patients and the public.

“Nigeria successfully contained Ebola in 2014, and we have the experience and public health systems to respond to this case. However, containing Ebola requires everyone to play their part,” it said.

The government said investigations were continuing and that the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease and the NCDC would provide updates.

It urged members of the public seeking information or wishing to report a suspected case to contact the NCDC’s toll-free number, 6232, which it said operates around the clock.

Nigeria’s previous outbreak

Nigeria’s 2014 outbreak began after an infected traveller from Liberia arrived in Lagos. The response involved rapid case detection, isolation and extensive contact tracing.

The country recorded 19 laboratory-confirmed cases and one probable case, with eight deaths.

The World Health Organisation subsequently declared Nigeria free of Ebola transmission on 20 October 2014, after 42 days without a new case.

Regional outbreak continues

The Nigerian case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC, where the disease has spread across several provinces. The outbreak has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola virus for which no licensed vaccine is currently available.

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WHO reported more than 8,700 confirmed cases and more than 4,200 deaths in the DRC as of 6 October, with transmission continuing across dozens of health zones.

Kenya reported its first imported case on 6 October: a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC and travelled to Kenya via Uganda.

On 20 October, Kenyan authorities confirmed a ninth case involving a close family member of the first patient.

Uganda, from which the Nigerian patient recently travelled, recorded 20 cases between May and June 2026. The country subsequently ended its outbreak after completing the required 42-day period without a new confirmed case.