Ebola Patient’s Condition Worsens – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said the condition of the Ebola patient receiving treatment in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has worsened, with the patient developing multiple organ failure.

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

Babatunde said laboratory tests confirmed that the patient was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, adding 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.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the patient, a female diplomat, travelled from Uganda to Abuja on October 3, 2026, and 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 as part of efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent further transmission.

Those identified include health workers, other patients, caregivers and individuals who travelled with the woman or may have been exposed to the virus during her journey.

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

It added that surveillance had been intensified to monitor individuals who might have been exposed to the virus and prevent further spread.

The development came amid heightened public health surveillance following the confirmation of the Ebola case in the FCT, with health authorities working to identify contacts and contain potential transmission.