The Federal Government has intensified surveillance and contact tracing following the confirmation of an Ebola case in Abuja, with health authorities tracking 44 contacts and mobilising international support to prevent further transmission.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, disclosed the measures during an appearance on NTA’s Network News at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, assuring Nigerians that the country was drawing on its previous experience in containing the deadly viral disease.
The case involves a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda and subsequently tested positive for Ebola. She is currently in isolation and receiving treatment at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to Pate, the government has activated its public health response, working with international partners and relevant agencies to contain the infection and prevent a wider outbreak.
“The government is on top of it,” he said.
He explained that several countries, including Indonesia, had offered assistance to Nigeria as authorities intensified efforts to manage the situation.
“We have mobilised our partners globally, right from Indonesia and other countries that we have been in communication with, have offered their own support, in addition to the tremendous expertise and experience of Nigerian public health officials, who have had experience dealing with Ebola in 2014,” the minister said.
Pate also expressed confidence in the country’s diagnostic capacity, noting that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had the laboratory facilities required to detect the virus responsible for the infection.
AUTHORITIES TRACE PASSENGERS, MONITOR CONTACTS
As part of efforts to limit the spread of the disease, the government is working with aviation authorities to obtain passenger manifests and identify individuals who may have been exposed to the infected woman during her journey to Nigeria.
Pate said the patient had not exhibited symptoms while travelling but became ill after arriving in the country, making the identification and monitoring of potential contacts an important component of the response.
He disclosed that 44 contacts had been traced and were undergoing quarantine measures as health officials continued investigations into possible exposure.
The minister described the virus detected in the patient as different from the Sudan and Zaire types of Ebola, although he did not identify the specific virus in the remarks provided.
He also emphasised the importance of obtaining accurate travel histories when assessing suspected infections, particularly among individuals who have recently visited countries reporting Ebola cases, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya and Uganda.
Pate identified headache, nausea, vomiting and muscle aches among the symptoms that could raise concern for a possible infection.
Ebola is a severe viral disease that can cause serious illness and death. However, early detection, appropriate medical care and effective public health interventions can improve patient outcomes and reduce the risk of further transmission.
FG CALLS FOR PUBLIC COOPERATION
In an earlier statement confirming the Abuja case, the Federal Government said it was working with the FCT authorities and other partners to protect healthcare workers, patients and the general public.
The government also urged Nigerians to cooperate with health officials, stressing that public awareness and prompt reporting of suspected infections would be essential to containing the disease.
“Nigeria successfully contained Ebola in 2014, and we have the experience and public health systems to respond to this case. However, containing Ebola requires everyone to play their part,” the statement said.
The government said investigations were ongoing and that the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease and the NCDC would provide further updates as more information became available.
Members of the public seeking information or wishing to report a suspected case were advised to contact the NCDC’s toll-free line on 6232, which the government said operates round the clock.
NIGERIA DRAWS ON 2014 OUTBREAK EXPERIENCE
The latest case has renewed attention on Nigeria’s response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when an infected traveller from Liberia arrived in Lagos, triggering an emergency public health operation.
The response involved rapid identification of suspected cases, isolation of infected individuals and extensive contact tracing to establish the chain of transmission.
Nigeria recorded 19 laboratory-confirmed cases and one probable case during the outbreak, with eight deaths.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) subsequently declared Nigeria free of Ebola transmission on October 20, 2014, after the country completed the required 42-day period without a new confirmed case.
The experience has since served as an important reference point for Nigeria’s preparedness to respond to emerging infectious diseases.
Pate’s remarks suggest that the government is seeking to apply lessons from that response while drawing on international cooperation and existing diagnostic capacity to manage the latest case.
REGIONAL OUTBREAKS RAISE CONCERNS
The case in Abuja comes amid a wider Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where infections have been reported across several provinces. The outbreak has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola virus for which no licensed vaccine is currently available.
According to figures cited in the report, the WHO had reported more than 8,700 confirmed cases and over 4,200 deaths in the DRC as of October 6, with transmission continuing across dozens of health zones.
Kenya also reported an imported case on October 6 involving a citizen who had been living in the DRC and travelled to Kenya through Uganda.
On October 20, Kenyan authorities confirmed a ninth case involving a close family member of the initial patient, highlighting the continuing risk of transmission through contact with infected individuals.
Uganda, from where the woman involved in the Nigerian case recently travelled, recorded 20 cases between May and June 2026. The country subsequently declared its outbreak over after completing the required 42-day period without a new confirmed case.
The regional developments have heightened the importance of cross-border surveillance, timely information-sharing and the rapid identification of travellers who may have been exposed to the virus.
For Nigeria, the immediate priority remains containing the Abuja case, monitoring identified contacts and determining whether any additional infections have occurred.
While the government has expressed confidence in the country’s public health capacity, the effectiveness of the response will depend on sustained surveillance, cooperation from the public and the timely implementation of containment measures.