Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola on Tuesday in the capital Abuja, marking the latest development in a regional outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She developed symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on October 11, where she received care for several days before laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate said the patient is now in isolation and receiving medical care. Contact tracing has identified 44 close contacts, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers, and travel contacts, with monitoring underway.

Pate described the case as contained and noted Nigeria's successful containment of Ebola in 2014, stating the country possesses the experience and public health systems to respond effectively.

The confirmation comes amid a larger Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak declared in the DRC in mid-May 2026. The World Health Organization reported more than 9,000 confirmed cases and over 4,300 deaths in the DRC as of early October, with a case-fatality rate near 48 percent. Kenya has reported nine cases linked to the same strain.

Ugandan officials stated there is no Ebola in Uganda at present. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has begun mobilizing support for Nigeria while urging international cooperation to contain the spread.

Nigerian authorities have intensified surveillance at entry points and called on healthcare facilities to maintain high vigilance, promptly isolate suspected cases, and report them immediately. The government emphasized strict infection prevention measures to limit further transmission.