The United Kingdom government has warned its citizens about travelling to Nigeria after the West African country recorded its first Ebola virus case in 2026 on Tuesday, prompting the Nigerian government to scramble a rapid health care response.
In a travel advisory issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the UK government notified its citizens about the Ebola case recorded on Tuesday, stating that a contact tracing operation had been activated.
“On 20 October 2026, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed its first imported case of Ebola in the Federal Capital Territory and are implementing public health measures in response, including contact tracing,” the FCDO said.
The UK government also urged its citizens travelling to Nigeria to “Follow the advice of local authorities and monitor updates from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare”.
It, however, stated that if UK nationals must travel to Nigeria, they must check if their destination can provide the healthcare they may need and must have appropriate travel insurance for local treatment or unexpected medical evacuation.
Additionally, the UK government informed its citizens that there are limited government-owned ambulance services in Nigeria and may be forced to arrange for their own transportation to hospitals if need arises.
“There is no national ambulance service and hospital-owned services are extremely limited. You may need to get local advice or arrange local transport. Contact your insurance company quickly if you’re referred to a medical facility for treatment,” the FCDO added.
Nigerian health minister Muhammad Ali Pate had earlier revealed that the female patient was a passenger who recently arrived in Nigeria on a flight from Uganda.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.