# Nigeria confirms first Ebola case linked to East Africa outbreak

> A woman who travelled from Uganda to Nigeria's capital has tested positive for Ebola, marking the first West African case in the current crisis.
- Title: Nigeria confirms first Ebola case linked to East Africa…
- Summary: A woman who travelled from Uganda to Nigeria's capital has tested positive for Ebola, marking the first West African case in the current crisis. Nigeria has…
- Keywords: ebola, nigeria, uganda, east africa, disease outbreak, public health, news, world, confirms, first, case, linked
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2l4xw7xpjgo
- Published: 2026-10-20T19:11:15.304+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ebola, nigeria, uganda, east africa, disease outbreak, public health, news, world
## Nigeria confirms Ebola case
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate confirmed a female patient who travelled from Uganda to Abuja has tested positive for Ebola. She is in isolation receiving medical care.
## Patient's timeline and symptoms
The woman arrived in Nigeria four days before developing symptoms on Wednesday, October seventh. Health sources say she is not Nigerian and is the wife of a diplomat.
## Contact tracing underway
Nigerian health authorities have identified forty four close contacts of the patient and begun contact tracing to prevent further spread of the virus.
## Outbreak context in East Africa
The outbreak began in Democratic Republic of Congo in May and has claimed at least four thousand six hundred lives with more than nine thousand five hundred cases recorded.
## Unclear travel history complicates tracing
Uganda's Director General of Health Services Charles Olaro said the woman travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for business before passing through Uganda in early October. Her exact exposure location remains unclear.

> The location of exposure remains under investigation.
## Nigeria's assessment of exposure
Health Minister Pate told Nigerian Television Authority on Tuesday evening that the patient had no symptoms on arrival in Nigeria. He said authorities presume the virus was likely picked up in Uganda.

> We presume that it was likely picked in Uganda.
## Nigeria's preparedness and wider spread
Nigeria successfully stopped a previous Ebola outbreak in two thousand fourteen. Kenya has reported at least nine infections and the US advised its citizens to reconsider travel there because of health risks.
## Key takeaway

Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case in a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja. Health authorities are tracing 44 close contacts to prevent spread.