Ebola patient’s condition worsens, NCDC says

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said the condition of the Ebola patient in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has worsened.

The Director of Public Health Laboratory Service at the NCDC, Olajumoke Babatunde, disclosed this during an emergency meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

She said the patient, a diplomat, had developed multiple organ failure.

According to Babatunde, tests confirmed that the patient was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. She added that three rounds of molecular tests were conducted to identify the strain.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also confirmed the strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

The patient is a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja on October 3, 2026. She was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT after developing symptoms similar to malaria.

The Incident Manager of the National Ebola Response, Dr Odianosen Ehiakhamen, said the woman developed symptoms on October 7 and visited the hospital on October 11.

The NCDC said 44 people who had close contact with the patient had been identified. They include health workers, other patients, caregivers and people who travelled with her or may have been exposed during her journey.

The agency said the patient is being kept in isolation and receiving medical care.

It added that surveillance had been increased to monitor people who may have been exposed to the virus and prevent further spread.