THE Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has disclosed that the index patient diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in Nigeria is Ugandan-born and arrived in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with her husband on October 3, 2026.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Director-General of Africa CDC, Dr Jean Kaseya, made the disclosure on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, explaining that although the regional agency was engaging Nigeria, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on measures to contain the outbreak, the patient needed to provide relevant information to the authorities to prevent a crisis between African countries.
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Kaseya said he was in contact with the authorities of the three countries, stressing that establishing the patient’s travel history and possible contacts was essential to the ongoing response.
“I am talking to all authorities with Nigerian authorities, with Ugandan authorities, even to DRC authorities. But we are lucky that this person we know today, without any doubt, is a Ugandan-born person who went to Uganda and she was there for some days. Then the husband flew to join her in Uganda then they came back to Abuja on October 3. This is a fact,” Kaseya said.
He called for the patient’s cooperation with the relevant authorities, noting that the information she provides would help Nigeria and its regional partners understand the circumstances surrounding the case and support efforts to contain the outbreak.
“Now, what we want is collaboration from this person, the lady. She has to disclose to the authorities. I need this information as Nigeria needs this information because we need also to support Uganda. She needs to tell us if, first, she flew to the DRC. Second, if she went out of Kampala; third, if she was in contact with someone who came from the DRC.
“I think this is the information we are looking for. It will help all of us to avoid crisis between African countries,” he said.
The Africa CDC chief, however, noted that the continent was now “well prepared” to address public health emergencies, expressing confidence in Africa’s capacity to respond to the outbreak.
Pushing back against claims that Ebola was an African problem, Kaseya warned that it would be a mistake for anyone anywhere in the world to assume they were safe from the disease.
A health worker stands inside a new Ebola treatment centre during a visit by World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Bunia on May 31, 2026. Photo: AFP
Kaseya, who disclosed that the Bundibugyo strain of the virus was the most geographically widespread, affecting West, Southern and East Africa, assured that the continent was not in a state of panic because it understood the measures required to tackle the outbreak.
He expressed concern that some international partners continued to regard Ebola as an exclusively African problem, arguing that the response might have been different if the outbreak had occurred in Western countries.
Read also: Ebola: ‘We Are On Top Of It’, FG Assures Nigerians Of Capacity To Contain Virus
The Africa CDC chief said some partners considered Ebola an African issue, adding that “if this outbreak was in Western countries, vaccines would already be available”.
He, however, disclosed that the agency had initiated clinical trials of new vaccines, including a new vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain manufactured in Egypt.
Kaseya also said Africa CDC had worked with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to bring the Zaire vaccine for clinical trials and compassionate use.
Emphasising the need for Africa to strengthen its capacity to develop and produce medical countermeasures, he said the continent must not be left behind in the global response to infectious diseases.
“We don’t want to see Africa left behind again. We have the knowledge. We have people with intelligence,” he said. “We have capacity to manufacture vaccines; we need to move on. This is also the case for medicine and diagnostics.”
The Federal Government had on Tuesday confirmed a case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory, disclosing that the patient’s symptoms progressed four days after she arrived from Uganda, even as Ugandan authorities said there was no outbreak of the disease in the East African country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, told journalists in Abuja that the patient had been placed in isolation and was receiving medical care, while contact tracing had commenced, with 44 contacts already identified.
Pate also said surveillance had been strengthened at Nigeria’s entry points as part of efforts to prevent further transmission of the virus.
The National Assembly has urged the Federal Government to take urgent measures to contain the spread of the disease and protect public health.
On Wednesday, the Senate called for emergency funding from the service-wide vote to strengthen Nigeria’s disease surveillance system and enforce mandatory health screening at all international airports, seaports and designated land borders to prevent the spread of Ebola and other epidemic-prone diseases.
Similarly, the House of Representatives called for increased public awareness and the early preparation of isolation camps following the confirmation of a fresh outbreak in the FCT.
Read also: Ebola In Abuja: 20 Things To Know About The Virus And How Nigerians Can Prevent Infection, Spread
Already, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to place 46 people identified as contacts of an Ebola-affected patient on a no-fly list for at least 21 days.
The measures form part of the government’s efforts to strengthen surveillance, monitor potentially exposed individuals and prevent the further spread of the virus as Nigerian health authorities work with regional and international partners to contain the outbreak.
