EBOLA: FG Mobilises Health Authorities As FCT Records One Confirmed Case
The Federal Government has activated public health response measures following the confirmation of one Ebola disease case in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The government announced the development on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, after laboratory tests confirmed the infection in a woman who recently travelled to Nigeria from Uganda on an international flight.
The patient had reportedly spent several days receiving treatment at a private hospital in the FCT before the diagnosis was established. She has since been placed in isolation and is receiving medical care.
In response to the development, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) have joined forces with the FCT Health Services Secretariat and other relevant agencies to prevent further transmission.
The authorities have begun contact tracing, identifying 44 close contacts as of the time of the announcement.
Those being monitored include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and individuals who may have come into contact with the patient during her journey or medical treatment.
The government said surveillance had been intensified, while immediate assistance was being provided to the hospital concerned to strengthen infection prevention and control procedures.
It also called on healthcare facilities across the country to heighten vigilance and ensure that suspected Ebola cases are promptly identified, isolated and reported to the appropriate authorities.
Healthcare workers were specifically advised to maintain strict infection prevention practices and exercise caution when attending to patients presenting symptoms consistent with Ebola disease.
What Nigerians Must Do
The Federal Government has urged citizens not to panic but to remain alert and follow established public health guidelines.
According to the government, Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms or has died from the disease. Transmission can also occur through contact with contaminated materials.
It emphasised that individuals infected with Ebola do not transmit the virus before symptoms appear.
Nigerians have been advised to practise regular hand hygiene, avoid contact with potentially infected body fluids and seek guidance from public health authorities if they suspect they have been exposed.
Symptoms to watch out for include fever, severe weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea, particularly among individuals who may have had contact with an infected person.
Anyone who develops symptoms after a possible exposure should avoid close contact with others and contact public health authorities before visiting a hospital or healthcare facility.
The government also urged individuals contacted by public health teams, including relevant airline passengers, to cooperate fully with contact-tracing efforts.
It warned against the spread of rumours and the stigmatisation of people who may have been exposed to the disease, urging the public to rely on verified information from official health authorities.
FG Reassures Citizens
The Federal Government reassured Nigerians that the country has the experience and public health capacity required to respond to the situation, recalling Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014.
It noted, however, that the prevention of further spread would depend on early detection, prompt reporting, effective surveillance and public cooperation.
The government said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, FCT authorities and other partners were working together to protect healthcare workers, patients and the general public.
It added that investigations into the confirmed case were ongoing and pledged to provide timely and accurate updates.
The Presidential Taskforce on Ebola Virus Disease and the NCDC will continue to coordinate public information and response efforts.
Members of the public seeking information or wishing to report a suspected case have been advised to call the NCDC’s toll-free helpline on 6232, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The statement was signed by Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
Editorial note: These rewrites reflect the information in the supplied statement and do not independently verify the reported Ebola case. Given the public health implications, the announcement should be verified through official Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare or NCDC channels before publication.
