22.10.2026 03:00
It was announced that the first Ebola case confirmed in Nigeria since the outbreak in East Africa began in May is a 42-year-old diplomat's wife who vacationed for two and a half weeks in Uganda's capital, Kampala. The diagnosis of the woman, who went to two private hospitals after being suspected of having malaria, was confirmed on October 20; the 44 people she had contact with were placed in quarantine.
The first Ebola case confirmed in Nigeria since the outbreak in East Africa began in May has been identified as the wife of a diplomat who traveled on holiday to Uganda's capital, Kampala. According to BBC News, the information was provided by Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
According to Kaseya, the woman, who is originally Ugandan and lives in Abuja, fell ill three days after returning to Nigeria's capital on October 3. Nigeria's Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate also confirmed that the 42-year-old patient stayed in Kampala for two and a half weeks and had a two-hour layover in Ethiopia's capital on the return journey.
Minister Pate said the patient's condition was stable and that she was recovering. Officials identified 44 people who had been in contact with the woman, whose Ebola test came back positive on Tuesday. None of these quarantined individuals, including the person who traveled with the woman, has shown symptoms so far.
SUSPECTED MALARIA, WENT TO TWO HOSPITALS
According to Kaseya, the woman's first symptoms began on October 6. Thinking it was malaria, the patient went first to a private hospital and then to a second private hospital, and was admitted on October 11. When her condition did not improve, public health officials were alerted on October 19, and the diagnosis was confirmed the next day by three laboratory tests. Malaria symptoms—high fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and diarrhea—resemble those of Ebola.
Ebola's incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days. The disease is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit. According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, more than 9,500 cases have been recorded in the outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May, and at least 4,600 people have died. In Uganda, which declared itself free of the outbreak in August, at least two people had died.
STATEMENTS ARE INCONSISTENT
However, statements regarding the patient's travel are inconsistent. In an earlier statement, Uganda's Ministry of Health described the woman as a Nigerian citizen who had gone to eastern Congo for work and was only transiting through Uganda, and emphasized that there was no active Ebola case in the country. Minister Pate said they were working with Uganda, Ethiopia, and Africa CDC to establish the full facts.
Source: BBC