The agency says all identified contacts are under follow-up, while the Federal Government pledges to prioritise the safety and welfare of health workers.

BY FRONTLINE REPORTERS

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified 53 contacts linked to a confirmed Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s spouse.

In its Ebola Disease Situation Report dated October 24, 2026, the agency disclosed that all 53 contacts had been identified, categorised and placed under follow-up as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.

The NCDC also reported that Rivers State notified it of a suspected Ebola case on October 23. However, laboratory tests returned negative for the disease.

The index 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 reportedly developed symptoms four days later and sought treatment at a private health facility on October 10 before presenting at another facility the following day.

According to the NCDC, the agency was notified of the case on October 19, prompting an investigation and sample collection. The National Reference Laboratory confirmed the infection on October 20. The patient’s symptoms included fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and sore throat, although no bleeding was reported.

Meanwhile, the NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, has assured Nigerians that the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NCDC, FCT health authorities and development partners, is fully committed to containing the outbreak.

Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, Idris acknowledged public concerns over the confirmation of Ebola but said the government had activated established public health systems and response mechanisms to prevent further spread.

He explained that the response was being coordinated through an Incident Management System and the Emergency Operations Centre, under the national leadership of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Mohammed Pate, and the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease.

Idris said public health teams were tracing people who might have been exposed to the confirmed case, assessing their risk and monitoring them for 21 days after their last possible exposure. Those being followed up include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers, household members and travel-related contacts.

He urged Nigerians contacted by public health officials to cooperate fully, provide accurate information about their movements and contacts, and promptly report any symptoms. He stressed that being identified as a contact did not mean a person had contracted Ebola but indicated the need for assessment and monitoring.

The NCDC chief also commended healthcare workers whose vigilance and clinical judgement helped identify the case, describing their contribution as critical to triggering the public health response. He noted that doctors, nurses, laboratory personnel, surveillance officers, contact tracers and other public health professionals remained central to containing the disease.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the safety and welfare of healthcare workers, Idris called on public and private health facilities nationwide to strengthen infection prevention and control measures. He emphasised the need for effective screening and triage, strict hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, injection safety, proper waste disposal and adequate supplies of personal protective equipment.

He further urged healthcare facilities to promptly isolate suspected cases and notify the relevant public health authorities, warning that medical personnel must not wait for laboratory confirmation before taking appropriate precautions.

“Protecting healthcare workers is essential to protecting the communities they serve,” Idris said.