NCDC Identifies Abuja Ebola Patient as Nigerian Diplomat

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has disclosed that the confirmed Ebola case in Abuja involves a Nigerian diplomat whose condition has reportedly deteriorated into multi-organ failure.

The agency also confirmed that laboratory tests identified the infection as the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

The update was provided on Wednesday by Olajumoke Babatunde, Director of the Public Health Laboratory Service at the NCDC, during an emergency incident management meeting in Abuja.

Babatunde explained that the diagnosis was established through multiple rounds of laboratory testing.

“We did three levels of tests, but all were molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” she said.

Another official at the meeting disclosed that the patient was a diplomat, adding that her condition had deteriorated into multi-organ failure.

The development follows an earlier announcement by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, who confirmed on Tuesday that a woman who had recently travelled from Uganda tested positive for Ebola in the Federal Capital Territory.

In his statement, Pate said the patient had arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before laboratory tests confirmed the infection. He added that she was in isolation and receiving medical care.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria confirms one case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following laboratory confirmation today, 20 October 2026. The patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed. She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care,” the minister stated.

Pate also urged healthcare facilities across the country to strengthen surveillance and maintain strict infection prevention and control measures.

“The FG calls on all public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to be on high alert. Healthcare workers must maintain a high index of suspicion, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, observe strict infection prevention and control measures, and immediately report suspected cases to public health authorities,” he said.

He added that investigations were continuing and that the government would provide further updates.

The announcement has prompted clarification from Ugandan health authorities regarding the patient’s travel history and the circumstances surrounding the infection.

Charles Olaro, Uganda’s Director-General of Health Services, said the woman was Nigerian and had travelled to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for business before transiting through Uganda in early October.

According to Olaro, the woman did not display symptoms while in Uganda but developed them after arriving in Nigeria.

The Ugandan health authorities stressed that the patient’s transit through the country did not establish where she contracted the virus.

“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the ministry said.

It also noted that Nigerian authorities had yet to provide detailed information about the woman’s travel itinerary and clinical history, which could help guide further investigations and contact tracing.

“We wish to clarify that, as at the time of this statement, Uganda has NO confirmed active Ebola cases,” the ministry added.

The Bundibugyo strain was first identified in Uganda in 2007. It causes Bundibugyo virus disease, a severe illness that belongs to the Ebola group of diseases.

Authorities are continuing investigations into the patient’s movements and possible exposure, while putting safety measures in public places for early detection.m