Uganda has denied having any active Ebola cases after Nigerian health authorities confirmed an infection in Abuja involving a Nigerian woman who recently travelled through the East African country.
Nigeria’s Health Minister, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed on Tuesday that laboratory tests confirmed the case on October 20, 2026, prompting concerns over a possible cross-border spread of the deadly disease.
The woman, who arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory before her diagnosis was confirmed.
She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care, Pate said.
However, Uganda’s Director-General of Health Services, Charles Olaro, said the patient was a Nigerian who had travelled to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for business before transiting through Uganda in early October.
According to Olaro, the woman showed no symptoms while in Uganda but developed them after arriving in Nigeria.
“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” the Ugandan health ministry said.
The government added that Nigeria had yet to provide detailed information about the woman’s travel itinerary and clinical history to guide further investigations and possible contact tracing.
“We wish to clarify that, as at the time of this statement, Uganda has NO confirmed active Ebola cases,” the ministry stated.
The clarification comes amid concerns that the infection could have originated in Uganda, recalling Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak, when a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, brought the virus into the country.
Uganda said it had maintained limited provisions for humanitarian and diplomatic movements but would strengthen screening and public health controls at its points of entry.
Meanwhile, Pate urged public and private healthcare facilities across Nigeria to remain vigilant and promptly report suspected cases.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria confirms one case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following laboratory confirmation today, 20 October 2026,” he said.
He directed healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion, isolate suspected cases promptly and observe strict infection prevention and control measures.
“Investigations are ongoing, and we will continue to provide accurate and timely information,” the minister added.
### How Ebola spreads
Ebola is a severe viral disease associated with a high risk of death. The World Health Organisation estimates that the average case fatality rate across outbreaks is about 50 per cent, although the figure varies depending on the virus, outbreak conditions and access to treatment.
The disease spreads mainly through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or someone who has died from the disease.
Transmission can also occur through contaminated clothing, bedding, medical equipment and other objects carrying infectious body fluids.
The virus is not airborne in the same way as infections that spread through ordinary breathing in shared indoor spaces.
People may also contract Ebola through contact with infected animals, particularly when handling sick or dead wildlife or inadequately handling products from infected animals.
Traditional burial practices involving direct contact with the body of someone who died from Ebola can also increase the risk of transmission.
Healthcare workers and family members caring for infected people face a heightened risk if they do not use appropriate protective measures.
According to the WHO, infected people do not transmit Ebola before symptoms develop. Once symptoms begin, they can remain infectious while the virus is present in their blood.
The incubation period — the time between infection and the appearance of symptoms — ranges from two to 21 days.
Health authorities are continuing investigations to establish where the Nigerian patient contracted the virus and identify people who may have been exposed.
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