The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced that 53 contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been successfully identified and placed under active follow-up.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, made this disclosure during a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday, confirming that the 42-year-old female patient is responding remarkably well to treatment and showing significant clinical improvement in isolation.
According to the NCDC Ebola Disease Situation Report dated October 24, 2026, the patient arrived in Nigeria from Uganda via Addis Ababa on October 3. She began experiencing symptoms including fever, diarrhea, generalized body aches, and a sore throat on October 7. She initially visited a private clinic on October 10 before being admitted to another private facility on October 11.
The NCDC was formally notified of the case on October 19. Subsequent investigations and sample collections led to laboratory confirmation of the Bundibugyo virus on October 20 by the NCDC National Reference Laboratory.
Dr. Idris noted that the 53 identified contacts currently under monitoring include healthcare workers, domestic staff, and the patient’s spouse. Public health teams are actively tracking and monitoring all exposed individuals for the mandatory 21-day incubation period following their last possible exposure.
To coordinate an aggressive containment strategy, the national Incident Management System has been activated at its highest level. Diagnostic testing, laboratory surveillance, and genomic sequencing have been jointly completed by the NCDC National Reference Laboratory and the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID).
Providing updates on wider nationwide vigilance, Dr. Idris revealed that a suspected case reported by Rivers State on October 23 tested negative for Ebola, and the results have been formally communicated to the state.
As part of clinical management preparations, the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital has undergone a comprehensive needs assessment and optimization process to serve as a primary isolation and treatment facility.
Furthermore, infection prevention and control (IPC) capacity audits have been scaled up across healthcare facilities nationwide, complemented by a strengthened stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) and an influx of 500 donated laboratory testing kits.
The NCDC has also intensified surveillance at country points of entry, amplified public awareness campaigns, and deployed tracking mechanisms to counter misinformation and unverified rumors.
Public Advisory
The NCDC has called on Nigerians contacted by health officials to cooperate fully and provide accurate information to curb potential transmission. Citizens have been urged to:
Practice regular hand hygiene.
Avoid direct contact with the blood and bodily fluids of suspected cases.
Promptly report possible exposures or symptoms to public health authorities and follow professional guidance before visiting medical facilities.
Reassuring the public, the agency appealed for calm, cautioned against the stigmatization of affected persons, and advised citizens to rely strictly on verified information from official public health channels.
