By Paul Joseph
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified two suspected cases of Ebola disease in Nigeria’s North-East region, with both individuals isolated as laboratory investigations and contact tracing continue.
The agency disclosed this on Saturday, October 31, 2026, through a statement published on its official X account, stressing that the suspected cases have not been confirmed.
According to the NCDC, contact identification and listing are ongoing, while laboratory tests are being conducted to establish whether the individuals have contracted the disease.
The agency cautioned against treating the suspected cases as confirmed infections, noting that their status would depend on the outcome of laboratory investigations.
It also urged Nigerians to maintain proper hand hygiene, observe improved sanitation practices and adhere to public health guidelines to minimise the risk of infection.
The NCDC assured the public that further information would be communicated as verified updates become available.
The latest development comes amid ongoing efforts by health authorities to contain the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria following the confirmation of the country’s first case of the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja on October 20, 2026.
The Federal Government had identified the index patient as a woman who returned to Nigeria from Uganda with symptoms on October 7, although Ugandan authorities subsequently denied reports of an Ebola outbreak in the country.
The confirmed patient was later evacuated to Switzerland alongside her husband for further medical care.
On October 26, NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed that the agency had identified an additional contact, an e-hailing driver, linked to the confirmed case, bringing the number of primary contacts under surveillance to 54.
Idris said efforts were also ongoing to identify secondary contacts, warning that the country could not consider itself out of danger until all contacts had been identified and monitored.
He emphasised that the discharge or evacuation of the index patient did not automatically eliminate the risk of further transmission.
The identification of the two suspected cases in the North-East adds another development to Nigeria’s ongoing Ebola surveillance and response efforts.
Leave a Reply