The Federal Government has reportedly commenced contact tracing after a suspected imported case of Ebola disease was identified in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with 44 close contacts said to have been identified.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, was quoted as disclosing this in a statement signed by the ministry’s Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, following the reported laboratory confirmation on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
According to the statement, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda.
The woman was reportedly admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed. She is said to be in isolation and receiving medical care.
Pate said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the FCT Health Services Secretariat and other relevant authorities were working together to contain the reported infection.
He said contact tracing had commenced, with public health teams identifying and monitoring people who might have been exposed to the virus.
Those being monitored reportedly include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who may have come into contact with the patient during her travels.
The statement also said surveillance had been intensified, while the hospital where the patient was treated was receiving support to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.
