BREAKING: Nigeria Confirms Ebola Case in Abuja, Begins Tracking 44 Contacts
Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case in the capital, Abuja, after a patient who recently arrived from Uganda tested positive for the virus, the Federal Government has announced.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate confirmed the case on Tuesday, October 20, following laboratory testing. The patient had been admitted to a private hospital in Abuja before the diagnosis was established.
Authorities have begun tracing and monitoring 44 people identified as contacts of the infected patient to determine whether the virus may have spread to others.
The development comes amid a wider regional Ebola outbreak linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with cases also reported in neighbouring countries. Uganda had previously reported cases before being declared free of the outbreak.
The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had earlier heightened surveillance and strengthened preparedness measures following the detection of an imported case in Kenya earlier this month.
Ebola is a serious infectious disease transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person, or contaminated materials. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Health authorities are expected to provide further details on the patient’s condition, the specific virus strain and the outcome of contact-tracing efforts.
The confirmation raises the urgency of Nigeria’s public health response, particularly in identifying possible exposures and preventing further transmission.
