World
Nigeria confirms first Ebola case in Abuja as Kenya reaches nine cases
The patient had traveled from Uganda; Nigerian authorities are tracing 44 contacts, while DR Congo has recorded more than 4,000 deaths since May.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 19:00 · Updated 12:22 · 1 min read
In brief
- Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case, in a woman who had traveled from Uganda.
- Kenya recorded its ninth case, all within the same family cluster.
- The outbreak in DR Congo has passed 9,000 cases and 4,000 deaths; there is no licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain.
Nigeria has confirmed its first case of the Ebola virus in the capital, Abuja, raising concerns about the spread of the epidemic across the African continent. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the patient is a woman who had traveled from Uganda.
She developed her first symptoms on Oct. 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on Oct. 11, where she was later diagnosed with Ebola. Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities have begun tracing 44 people who had contact with her and that “everything possible” is being done to contain the case.
Kenya: Nine cases in one cluster
Also on Tuesday, Kenya confirmed its ninth case, a 24-year-old man who was already in quarantine. He is a close family member of the first patient, who had traveled from DR Congo via Uganda and died in a Nairobi hospital on Oct. 5. Director General of Health Patrick Amoth said all the cases belong to a single cluster and that there is no evidence of transmission outside it.
Eight patients are in stable condition. Of 135 contacts, 134 have been traced and quarantined. Kenya has not imposed restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings.
The second-largest epidemic
More than 9,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths have been reported in DR Congo since May. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) considers it the second-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded. Containing it is difficult because there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
