Fresh Ebola concerns as Nigeria identifies two suspected cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified and isolated two suspected cases of Ebola disease in the North-East, raising fresh concerns over the spread of the virus barely days after the country confirmed its first case in more than a decade.

The agency disclosed this in an update posted on its X account on Saturday, October 31, saying laboratory investigations were underway to establish whether the two individuals had contracted the disease.

It added that contact identification and listing had commenced as part of efforts to determine possible exposure and prevent further transmission.

“Two suspected cases of Ebola disease have been identified in Nigeria’s North-East region. Both individuals have been isolated, contact identification and listing is ongoing, and laboratory testing is being conducted,” the NCDC stated.

The agency, however, cautioned against interpreting the classification of the individuals as suspected cases as confirmation of Ebola infection, stressing that their status would depend on laboratory results.

The latest development comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s confirmation on October 20 of an imported case of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The index case was a 42-year-old woman who arrived in Abuja from Uganda, through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 3, 2026.

She reportedly developed symptoms, including fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and sore throat, on October 7 and was admitted to a private health facility on October 11.

The NCDC was notified of the suspected infection on October 19, prompting investigations and laboratory testing, which confirmed the disease the following day.

Following the confirmation, the Federal Government activated a coordinated public health response involving the NCDC, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, FCT health authorities and other relevant agencies.

Contact tracing was immediately initiated, with 44 close contacts initially identified for monitoring.

The figure subsequently rose to 62, according to the NCDC’s October 27 situation report, which also indicated that none of the contacts had tested positive.

The index patient and her husband, who was also identified as a close contact, were subsequently evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 following approval by Nigerian authorities.

The Nigerian case was linked to the wider regional outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain, which was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 15, 2026.

The outbreak and subsequent international spread prompted heightened surveillance and preparedness measures across affected and at-risk countries.

Nigeria had earlier intensified its Ebola preparedness following confirmation of an imported case in Kenya on October 6, involving a traveller who had previously lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Before Nigeria confirmed its own case, the NCDC had said it was strengthening surveillance, laboratory capacity, contact tracing, infection prevention and control measures, as well as preparedness at international points of entry.

The confirmation of the FCT case marked Nigeria’s first reported Ebola infection in more than a decade, following the 2014 outbreak, which began when an infected Liberian-American traveller arrived in Lagos.

In its latest advisory, the NCDC urged Nigerians to maintain proper hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation and comply with guidance issued by public health authorities.

The agency assured the public that further updates would be provided as verified information became available.

It also stressed that the two newly identified individuals remained suspected cases pending laboratory confirmation.