WHO warns of complex Ebola outbreak as virus spreads to Nigeria

Harry Archie October 22, 2026

The World Health Organization warned that Africa is facing a “complex” Ebola outbreak after the virus spread from East Africa to Nigeria, marking the first confirmed case in West Africa during the current crisis.

Nigeria announced an imported case of the Bundibugyo strain involving a Ugandan diplomat’s wife based in Abuja, who returned to Nigeria on October 3 after travelling to Uganda, transiting through Addis Ababa.

Nigeria is the fourth African country affected by the outbreak, alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kenya, which has reported nine cases since October 6.

The outbreak in the DRC has become the deadliest in the country’s history, killing more than 4,000 people among over 9,000 confirmed cases since mid-May. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, with fatality rates approaching 50 percent.

Speaking on Thursday, WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi described the situation as increasingly complex, while Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya warned of an “extremely serious threat.”

The case has revived memories of the 2014–2016 West African Ebola epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people. However, Nigeria’s successful containment of the previous outbreak, which resulted in 19 infections and seven deaths, has raised confidence in its response capabilities.

The patient is receiving treatment at a private hospital and showing “positive signs,” although an official from Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention previously reported that she had experienced multiple organ failure.

Meanwhile, Uganda has rejected suggestions that the patient contracted the virus there. The country was declared Ebola-free in August after recording 20 cases, most linked to travel from the DRC, and currently reports no active cases.

Ugandan government spokesman Alan Kasujja criticised attempts to associate the country with the outbreak simply because the patient had visited, saying officials were working to prevent Uganda from being portrayed as an active Ebola zone.