The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has disclosed that the condition of the Ebola patient in the Federal Capital Territory has worsened, with the patient developing multi organ failure.
The Director of Public Health Laboratory Service at the NCDC, Olajumoke Babatunde, gave the update during an emergency meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
Babatunde identified the infection as the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, the same strain responsible for the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She said three levels of molecular testing were conducted to confirm the strain.
“The patient’s condition has deteriorated. We did three levels of tests, but all were molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” Olajumoke said.
The World Health Organisation also confirmed the strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The patient is a diplomat who travelled from Uganda to Abuja on October 3, 2026. She was initially admitted to a private hospital in the FCT with symptoms resembling malaria before Ebola was suspected.
According to the Incident Manager of the National Ebola Response, Dr Odianosen Ehiakhamen, the patient developed symptoms on October 7 and presented at the hospital on October 11.
The NCDC said 44 close contacts have been identified and are being monitored. They include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who had contact with the patient during travel.
The agency added that the patient remains in isolation and is receiving medical care, while surveillance activities have been intensified to monitor potential transmission.
