Kampala is not happy with reports from Nigeria, claiming the first Ebola patient in Abuja had carried the infection from Uganda.

The Ugandan Ministry of Health said it has noted with concern reports of a confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria involving a woman who travelled to Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for business.

Preliminary information indicates that the Nigerian lady transited through Uganda in early October without symptoms and developed symptoms immediately after landing in Abuja.

“Travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here. The location of exposure remains under investigation,” Kampala maintained.

Uganda says the Government of Nigeria is yet to provide detailed information on her travel itinerary and clinical history which will guide further investigations and any necessary contact tracing.

“We wish to clarify that, as at the time of this statement, Uganda has NO confirmed active Ebola cases,” maintained the statement from Kampala.

“Additionally, limited provisions had been maintained for humanitarian and diplomatic movement,” adds the statement.

The Ministry said it was working with relevant agencies and will further strengthen screening and public health controls at points of entry.

Meanwhile Nigeria has confirmed an imported case of Ebola disease involving the said woman, prompting heightened public health surveillance and measures to prevent further transmission.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, alongside the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Center of Disease Control (CDC) officials, confirmed the case, with Abuja claiming the patient had imported Ebola from Uganda where she transited.

Professor Pate assures Nigerians that the country has sufficient expertise to contain the case, with surveillance, contact tracing and border health measures being strengthened.

On 20 October 2026 Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case.

It was in the ​person of a woman who had reportedly arrived from Uganda by air.

She was treated for several days in a private hospital in Abuja City before diagnosis.

The patient was later isolated, with 44 other close contacts being followed and monitored.

 How she was infected has not been published; investigations are ongoing.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms, or contaminated materials. Early detection and prompt response remain critical to preventing further spread