Nigeria confirms Ebola case in patient who arrived from Uganda

Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja on October 20, 2026, in a patient who arrived from Uganda. The case links to the Democratic Republic of the Congo outbreak, which had 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths as of October 11, 2026. Nigerian authorities traced 44 contacts. The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment exists.

Nigeria Ebola case

• ▪The Nigerian Ebola patient arrived from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja before testing positive
• ▪Nigerian authorities were tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the Ebola patient
• ▪Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja on October 20, 2026
• ▪Early intensive supportive care for Ebola, including rehydration and treatment of symptoms, can improve survival

Kenya outbreak cluster

• ▪Kenyan authorities had identified 135 contacts linked to the country's Ebola cases as of October 20, 2026, with 134 in quarantine
• ▪The U.S. State Department raised Kenya's travel advisory from Level 2 to Level 3 on October 19, 2026, prompted by health risks
• ▪Kenya's first Ebola patient traveled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi on October 3, 2026
• ▪Kenya's first Ebola patient tested positive on October 5, 2026 and died the same day
• ▪The first group of Ebola contacts in Kenya was expected to complete its 21-day quarantine period on October 25, 2026
• ▪Kenya confirmed nine Ebola cases as of October 20, 2026
• ▪Kenya announced its first Ebola case on October 6, 2026

DRC outbreak scale

• ▪The Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola outbreak had 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths as of October 11, 2026
• ▪The Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola outbreak is the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record
• ▪Weekly confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo increased by 2.5 percent from 475 to 487 over three epidemiological weeks preceding October 8, 2026
• ▪The crude case-fatality rate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola outbreak was 48.3 percent as of October 11, 2026
• ▪The Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola outbreak surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases within 40 days of the response being activated
• ▪Sixty-five health zones across seven provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had been affected by Ebola as of October 11, 2026

Bundibugyo virus characteristics

• ▪There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease
• ▪People infected with Bundibugyo virus are not infectious until symptoms begin
• ▪The case-fatality rate in the 2007 Bundibugyo outbreak was 30 percent
• ▪The incubation period for Bundibugyo virus disease ranges from two to 21 days
• ▪The average case-fatality rate across Ebola outbreaks is about 50 percent, although rates have ranged from 25 percent to 90 percent in previous outbreaks
• ▪The current Ebola outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, which was confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda in May 2026
• ▪Ebola symptoms begin an average of eight to 10 days after exposure

International spread risk

• ▪Uganda had registered 20 confirmed Ebola cases by July 8, 2026, including 15 imported infections and five locally transmitted cases
• ▪The World Health Organization provided supplies worth around $70,000 USD to the Kenyan Ministry of Health, including protective equipment, testing supplies and infrared thermometers for screening travellers
• ▪The World Health Organization assessed the Ebola outbreak risk for the rest of the WHO African Region and globally as low as of October 8, 2026
• ▪The World Health Organization assessed the Ebola outbreak risk as very high in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and high for countries sharing land borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo as of October 8, 2026
• ▪No Ebola cases linked to the current outbreak had been reported in the United States as of October 20, 2026
• ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the likelihood of Ebola spreading to the United States very low
• ▪The World Health Organization advises against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or Kenya based on the currently available information

Perspective of World Health Organization

• ▪The World Health Organization assessed the Ebola outbreak risk as very high in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and high for countries sharing land borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo as of October 8, 2026
• ▪The World Health Organization advises against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or Kenya based on the currently available information

Perspective of U.S. Government

• ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the likelihood of Ebola spreading to the United States very low
• ▪The U.S. State Department raised Kenya's travel advisory from Level 2 to Level 3 on October 19, 2026, prompted by health risks