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Humanitarian & health · Disease outbreak · Impact 4 Major

Nigeria records first Ebola case, in capital Abuja

· Abuja, Nigeria · confirmed by 7 outlets

Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said the patient was a woman who had recently flown to Abuja from Uganda, during an outbreak originating in the DRC.

Location
Abuja, Nigeria · Nigeria live map
Coordinates
9.06°N 7.49°E
Reported
20 Oct 2026, 19:08 UTC
Category
Humanitarian & health · Disease outbreak
Impact
4 of 5 · Major
Situation
Disease outbreaks
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▲ Escalating

Ebola spreads to a fourth country as Kenya reports a second death

On Friday, Kenya announced a second Ebola death, saying there is no evidence of community spread; the outbreak now spans four countries. Switzerland says the patient in Nigeria is a Swiss diplomat's wife who is believed to have been infected in Uganda, contradicting Uganda's earlier account. On Saturday, the WHO announced the start of a clinical trial of multiple Ebola vaccines in DR Congo. Separately, the CDC reported 4,588 US measles cases.

  • Officials say the Nigeria and Kenya Ebola patients both travelled through Entebbe airport on 3 October.
  • Nigeria's first case matches the Bundibugyo strain behind DR Congo's deadliest outbreak.
  • The CDC reported 178 more US measles cases, for 4,588 in total across at least 43 outbreaks.
  • California's flu test positivity is 9.65%, against a normal 1% for early October.
Updated 24 Oct 2026, 12:20 UTC · Written by Claude from the reports on this page and on the map. Check the linked sources for full details.

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