Uganda’s Ministry of Health has denied reports of an Ebola outbreak in the country following confirmation of a case in Nigeria.
The Federal Government had on Tuesday confirmed a case of the Ebola virus in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Nigeria’s confirmed case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo virus in the DRC, with infections also reported in other countries.
According to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, the imported case of Ebola virus disease was confirmed by laboratory testing.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Pate said the patient is a woman with a recent travel history to East Africa, particularly Uganda, who returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7th, which progressed four days later before tests confirmed the infection.
He said the patient is currently in isolation and receiving medical care, and contact tracing has commenced, with forty-four contacts already identified, as surveillance is strengthened at the country’s entry points.
“The patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was admitted to a private hospital… where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed,” a government statement said. “She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.”
Pate explained that the Ministry of Health, the FCT Health Secretariat, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and other partners are working together to contain the infection and prevent further spread.
While urging public and private health facilities to remain on high alert, stressing that health workers must maintain a high index of suspicion for possible cases, he called on Nigerians to remain calm and vigilant.
The minister advised the public to practise good hygiene, watch out for symptoms including fever, weakness, headache and diarrhoea, and cooperate with public health officials.
He maintained that the situation is being managed, with the government pledging timely and transparent updates as efforts continue to contain the virus.
The health minister said the government is drawing on Nigeria’s experience in containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the public health mechanisms established over the years, adding that all identified contacts are being traced and monitored.
Reacting to the report, however, in a public statement issued on Tuesday, the Ugandan ministry said “The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the ministry said, adding that travel through Uganda alone was insufficient to establish where the infection occurred.
It also said the Nigerian government had yet to provide detailed information about the woman’s travel itinerary and clinical history, which it said would help guide further investigations and any necessary contact tracing.
The Ugandan health ministry said it was working with relevant agencies to strengthen screening and public health controls at points of entry, following the development.
It added that limited provisions had been maintained for humanitarian and diplomatic movements.
Kenya, which confirmed its first imported case in early October, reported a ninth case on Tuesday. Its health ministry said all nine cases belonged to one known cluster, with the eight surviving patients responding well to supportive care.
The first Kenyan patient had travelled from the DRC through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi. The development has heightened regional concerns about the movement of the virus across borders.
Uganda also recorded Ebola infections earlier in 2026 but subsequently declared its outbreak over after completing the required period without a new confirmed case.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials. Symptoms can include fever, headache, severe weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea.
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