The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring 53 Ebola contacts linked to the confirmed Abuja case. A suspected case in Rivers State has tested negative.
NCDC Director-General Jide Idris gave the update at a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday, 25 October. None of the identified contacts had tested positive or developed symptoms at the time of the briefing, according to Premium Times’ account.
The group comprises 44 people from the health facility where the patient received treatment and nine others. Those additional contacts include household members, personnel at another clinic and the team that collected samples.
Idris clarified that the agency had investigated two cases: the confirmed infection in the Federal Capital Territory and the suspected infection in Rivers. The Abuja patient returned positive results from three samples, while her husband tested negative.
Contacts are being assessed by exposure level and monitored for 21 days after their last possible exposure. The number may change as investigations continue. Being listed as a contact does not mean a person has Ebola.
TVC News also reported that the confirmed patient remained in isolation and had shown improvement. It said the Rivers suspected case was reported on 23 October before testing negative.
Laboratory confirmation of the Abuja infection on 20 October prompted Nigeria to activate its incident management system. The World Health Organisation said the patient had recently travelled from Uganda and sought care at a private facility in Abuja on 11 October.
WHO’s initial announcement recorded 44 contacts under monitoring, with teams continuing to look for others who might have been exposed. The latest total reflects a broader contact list as the investigation develops.
WHO and its partners are supporting Nigeria’s response with case investigation, infection-prevention work and essential protective supplies for health workers. The organisation has urged countries in the region to keep clinical teams, laboratories and rapid-response personnel ready.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said on 23 October that genomic analysis had found the Nigerian virus genetically related to the virus identified in a Kenyan case. It stressed that this did not establish a direct transmission link.
The analysis involved NCDC and the Institute of Genomics and Global Health at Redeemer’s University in Ede, Osun State. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said further investigation was needed to establish whether the cases were epidemiologically connected.
The ministry has also directed agencies to enforce Ebola entry protocols following concerns from the Office of the National Security Adviser about reported lapses. A circular dated 22 October called for consistent, non-discriminatory screening, health declarations and surveillance at designated entry points.
It directed institutions to document and report breaches, support enforcement personnel and strengthen coordination and information-sharing. The ministry also called for monitoring and accountability arrangements to sustain compliance.
WHO says Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected blood or other bodily fluids, or contaminated objects. People do not transmit the disease before symptoms appear. The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.
The organisation identifies surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory services and infection prevention as central outbreak-control measures. Early supportive treatment, including rehydration and care for specific symptoms, can improve survival.
Archive photograph: NCDC headquarters, Abuja, 25 May 2021. Rubbyfem / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; social version cropped under the same licence. This is not a photograph of the October 2026 briefing, patient or contact-monitoring operation.
