The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it is investigating suspected Ebola cases while monitoring 53 primary contacts linked to the country’s only confirmed infection.
A suspected case in Rivers State has tested negative for the virus.
NCDC Director-General Jide Idris gave the update at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, October 25, 2026. He said the agency had established two suspected cases and identified 53 primary contacts, with isolation and quarantine facilities in place.
“We have established two suspected cases and 53 primary contact links. They are primary contacts. We have an isolation centre and a quarantine centre,” Idris said.
The confirmed case involves a 42-year-old woman who returned to Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3, 2026, arriving in Abuja on an international flight. She remains the only confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria and is receiving treatment under isolation.
According to Idris, the woman developed symptoms on October 7 and visited a private health facility on October 10. She presented at another private facility the following day, where she was admitted.
The NCDC was notified on October 19, after which it conducted an investigation and collected samples. The agency’s National Reference Laboratory confirmed the infection on October 20.
He said the woman presented with fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and a sore throat. Idris said she did not report any bleeding.
Idris said about 12 public and private laboratories were available to test for Ebola, adding that the NCDC had strengthened its laboratory capacity to ensure suspected cases were promptly investigated.
The agency urged public and private healthcare facilities to strengthen screening, triage and infection prevention measures and ensure healthcare workers had adequate personal protective equipment.
Idris also urged people contacted by public health officials to cooperate with contact-tracing teams and provide accurate information about their movements, contacts and symptoms.
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