Nigeria confirms Ebola case in Abuja; 44 contacts being traced

![WHO map of Ebola outbreak spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published October 8. It provides regional context and does not locate the Nigerian case.](https://cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/don_evd_drc_map_20261008b7527085-ad42-4993-a689-3e367b6d341f.png?sfvrsn=d0ebda9f_2) Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday, October 20. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said laboratory tests were positive in a woman who had recently travelled to Uganda. She developed symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja four days later, according to the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-ebola-first-case-africa-d39e454fbe1be1243e4e39fb46939f62). The minister said she is isolated and receiving care. Authorities have identified 44 contacts and begun tracing them. The [Reuters report](https://theprint.in/world/nigeria-confirms-an-ebola-case-health-minister-says/3077269/) and Nigerian public broadcaster [Voice of Nigeria](https://von.gov.ng/ebola-nigeria-confirms-imported-case-in-abuja-tracks-44-contacts/) also report the contact count; officials say it includes healthcare and travel-related contacts. The patient was described as stable by the Nigerian government. The case comes amid a wider regional outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease, including infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya. The latest [WHO situation update](https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON619) describes that outbreak, but the public announcement on the Abuja case has not identified its strain or established where the woman was infected. A direct link to the regional outbreak therefore remains unconfirmed. The next key update is whether any contacts develop symptoms and what laboratory analysis says about the virus.