Africa CDC to deploy scientists to Nigeria over ‘unexplained’ Ebola infection

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is set to deploy a team of leading Ebola scientists to Nigeria to investigate how the country’s first confirmed Ebola patient in more than a decade contracted the virus.

The Director-General of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, disclosed this during an interview with Reuters in London on Monday, October 26, 2026, explaining that the investigation would focus on identifying the source of the Bundibugyo virus infection.

The development follows uncertainty over where the infected woman, a Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, contracted the virus, as her travel records indicate that she had not visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of the ongoing outbreak.

Africa CDC investigates Ebola transmission

Establishing the source of the infection is critical to determining whether the virus has spread to locations where infections have not yet been detected and identifying individuals who may have been exposed.

One possible transmission route being investigated involves a connection between Nigeria’s confirmed patient and Kenya’s first Ebola patient, whose infection was traced to Congo.

• “We have so many unknowns,” Kaseya said. “I’m bringing a group of scientists in Abuja because… we need to be led by science.”

Genetic analysis of samples from both patients showed closely related viral strains, prompting scientists to examine their travel movements for possible exposure.

The Nigerian patient passed through Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on October 3, while the Kenyan patient, who subsequently died, is believed to have been at the airport around the same period.

• Although their flights were scheduled approximately 40 minutes apart, they reportedly used different departure gates, with no evidence that they encountered one another.
• Kaseya explained that genetic similarities did not establish direct transmission, particularly as the Nigerian patient could not recall meeting the Kenyan patient.

Investigators are also considering whether an unidentified intermediary facilitated transmission, as Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person displaying symptoms.

Nigeria traces 53 Ebola contacts

Nigeria confirmed its first case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease on October 20, 2026, after laboratory testing showed that a 42-year-old woman receiving treatment at a private medical facility in Abuja had contracted the virus.

• According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the patient returned from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3 and developed symptoms four days later.
• However, her recent visit to Uganda does not establish that she contracted the virus there, as the circumstances of her exposure remain unknown.
• Uganda, in the other hand, was declared free of its previous Ebola outbreak on August 27, 2026, after completing the required observation period without additional infections.
• Nairametrics reported on October 25 that the NCDC had identified 53 primary contacts, including healthcare workers, household members and others potentially exposed during her medical care.

The NCDC clarified that two cases under investigation included the confirmed Abuja patient and a suspected case in Rivers State, which subsequently tested negative.

The identification and monitoring of contacts form part of efforts to prevent further transmission while authorities investigate the source of the infection.

Ebola outbreak spreads across Africa

The investigation comes as the Bundibugyo outbreak continues to cross national borders, with confirmed infections reported outside Congo, including in Kenya and Nigeria.

Kenya has recorded nine confirmed infections and two deaths, including a 65-year-old woman who died on October 23 after contracting the virus from a family member linked to the country’s first patient.

• Health officials have not established evidence of wider community transmission in Kenya, despite infections among known contacts.
• In Congo, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 9,816 confirmed infections and 4,757 deaths as of October 23.
• There is currently no approved vaccine specifically for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.
• Africa CDC has appealed for international assistance, including funding, protective medical supplies, laboratory testing equipment and trained emergency personnel, to strengthen Nigeria’s outbreak response.

The funding concerns also extend to Congo, where Nairametrics reported on October 16 that Africa CDC had questioned financial disclosures covering more than $700 million provided for Ebola response activities.

The agency explained that the accounting discrepancies did not necessarily indicate misappropriation but reflected gaps in reporting by organisations implementing emergency health programmes.