Ebola: Don’t panic, remain vigilant, Fed Govt tells Nigerians

The Federal Government has urged Nigerians not to panic over the confirmation of an Ebola case in Abuja, assuring that competent public health authorities have activated necessary measures to prevent the disease from spreading into the wider population.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, who gave the assurance on Wednesday, said Nigerians should remain vigilant, rely on information from trusted public health authorities, and avoid spreading rumours that could create unnecessary fear.

Pate spoke to journalists at the State House, Abuja, after meeting the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, amid growing public concern over the confirmed case of the deadly disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said the Federal Government was collaborating with Uganda and had begun contact tracing and containment measures to ensure the imported case did not lead to wider transmission.

The minister expressed confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to contain the infection, citing the country’s successful response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the public health institutions established to handle such emergencies.

“All I can tell you is that we are collaborating with our sister African nation of Uganda. What is important is that we have found this one case. We are doing contact tracing and putting containment measures in place to ensure it doesn’t spread through our population.

“The federal government has competent authorities to be able to deal with this. We did it in 2014, and we have strong public health institutions.

“Nigerians should be reassured. We must be vigilant, but not panic, and people should respect public health information from trusted sources, and not spread misinformation and false rumours,” he said.

Pate assured that the government would remain transparent in handling the situation, promising to provide Nigerians with accurate, timely information as developments unfold.

He said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had activated its incident management system, while the relevant emergency response task force worked continuously to contain the infection.

According to him, the government is receiving regular reports on the situation and will communicate any significant changes to the public.

“We would be truthful to Nigerians with the information that we receive on a daily basis. I will be receiving a report. NCDC has an incident management system.

“They are working 24/7, and the task force is also active. So we have things in place that give us confidence that Nigeria can weather this public health crisis”, he said.

The minister particularly cautioned against sensationalising the development, stressing that confirming a single imported case should not trigger widespread hysteria.

He maintained that although the disease required vigilance and sustained containment efforts, Nigerians should have confidence in the country’s health institutions’ capacity to manage the threat.

“So let’s not fall into a trap of hysteria or panic; it’s one case. It’s an imported case, and we are containing it. And we will continue to take measures. If the situation changes, we’ll come out and inform Nigerians”, Pate assured.

The minister’s reassurance came barely 24 hours after the Federal Government confirmed Nigeria’s first Ebola case in more than a decade, following laboratory tests conducted on a woman with recent travel history to East Africa.

The case, confirmed on Tuesday, involved the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease, with the patient already placed in isolation and receiving medical care in Abuja.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the patient’s symptoms began on October 7, and she sought treatment at a private healthcare facility in Abuja on October 11, before laboratory tests confirmed the infection.

Health authorities have identified 44 contacts for monitoring so far, while investigations continue to establish the likely source of the infection and identify any additional people who may have been exposed.

The development comes amid a wider Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the disease has been spreading since May 2026.

Nigeria’s latest case has renewed attention to the country’s emergency disease surveillance and response capacity, particularly in the FCT, where health authorities are working to prevent secondary infections.

However, the Federal Government has insisted that the existing public health infrastructure, lessons from the successful containment of Ebola in 2014 and ongoing collaboration with international health partners provide a basis for confidence in the country’s response.

Pate reiterated that Nigerians would be kept informed of any changes in the situation, while urging the public to cooperate with health authorities and avoid misinformation that could undermine containment efforts.

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