Ebola: No new cases in Nigeria as two suspected cases in North-east test negative

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said two suspected Ebola cases identified in Adamawa State have tested negative for the virus.

The development came hours after the agency announced that two suspected Ebola cases had been identified in Nigeria’s North-east, without disclosing the state where they were found.

In a statement signed by its Director-General, Jide Idris, on Saturday evening, the NCDC said the samples collected from the two individuals tested negative for Ebola virus after two rounds of testing.

The agency said the suspected cases were reported in Yola, Adamawa State, on 30 October after the two individuals presented with symptoms suggestive of Ebola.

“Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EVD after two rounds of testing,” Mr Idris said.

Mr Idris said there is currently no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa State.

He added that the index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed Ebola case reported in Nigeria to date.

Ebola outbreak

The development comes 11 days after Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus.

Nigeria is one of five countries that have detected Bundibugyo virus disease during the current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May.

The outbreak has remained concentrated in the DRC but has spread beyond the country.

Nigeria’s first confirmed case of Ebola in 2026 was a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja and tested positive on 20 October. She was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland for continued treatment.

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The NCDC’s latest situation report said 62 contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case had been identified and were being monitored.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, had said genomic analysis showed that the virus detected in the Nigerian patient was closely related to the strain identified in Kenya’s first imported case. He, however, said the finding did not establish that the Nigerian patient was infected in Kenya.

WHO’s latest update reported 10,274 confirmed cases and 4,992 deaths in the DRC as of 28 October. Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Nigeria has one confirmed case at the time of the update.