Ebola: WHO Raises Concern as Nigeria Records First Case of Deadly Strain in West Africa

According to a report by The Punch on Thursday, October 22, 2026, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Africa is facing a complex Ebola outbreak after Nigeria confirmed an imported case of the virus, marking its reported arrival in West Africa.

Nigeria announced the case on Tuesday involving a woman who returned to Abuja after travelling to Uganda. The patient, a Ugandan national married to a diplomat, arrived in Nigeria on October 3 after leaving Uganda on September 16.

According to reports, she travelled aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight, transiting through Addis Ababa.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) later clarified that the woman had not visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), contrary to earlier suggestions by Ugandan authorities.

The case involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsible for a major outbreak in the DRC. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, described the situation as increasingly complicated, noting that the virus had spread across several African countries.

The DRC has recorded more than 9,000 confirmed cases and over 4,000 deaths since mid-May, making the outbreak the deadliest in the country’s history. Kenya has also reported nine cases since October 6.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya previously described the outbreak as an extremely serious threat, with the fatality rate in the DRC approaching 50 per cent.

The Nigerian case has revived memories of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which claimed more than 11,000 lives across affected countries. Nigeria contained the virus at the time, recording 19 infections and seven deaths.

Meanwhile, WHO’s representative in Nigeria, Pavel Ursu, said the patient was receiving treatment at a private hospital and showing positive signs of recovery.

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