Ebola virus disease has resurfaced in Nigeria after a woman who recently returned from Uganda tested positive for the virus at Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja.

The Federal Government confirmed the case on Tuesday, October 20, following laboratory confirmation of the infection in the Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed the development in a statement.

He confirmed that the government had commenced contact tracing to prevent further transmission of the disease.

According to the minister, the woman arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospitalhospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed.

“A woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she received treatment for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed,” the statement said.

The woman is currently in isolation and receiving medical care.

Also disclosed by the government is that 44 close contacts of the infected woman had been identified as part of the ongoing contact-tracing exercise.

Public health teams are working to identify and monitor other people who might have been exposed to the virus, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and people who travelled with the woman or may have come into contact with her during her journey.

It is not immediately clear how the woman contracted the virus or whether she had been exposed to an infected person before travelling to Nigeria.

However, her recent return from Uganda was identified as a significant detail in the investigation into the case.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are working with other relevant authorities to contain the infection.

The government has also begun providing support to the hospital where the woman was treated to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.

Surveillance has been intensified, while healthcare facilities across the country have been directed to remain on high alert for possible Ebola cases.

The government urged public and private hospitals to maintain a high level of suspicion, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, observe strict infection prevention and control measures, and immediately report suspected infections to public health authorities.

The Minister of Health advised Nigerians to remain calm while observing preventive measures, including regular handwashing and avoiding contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of anyone suspected of having Ebola.

He also warned Nigerians to pay attention to symptoms associated with the disease, particularly if they may have been exposed to an infected person.

Symptoms of Ebola virus disease may include fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain and sore throat. In some cases, patients develop vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and internal or external bleeding.

The disease can initially resemble other illnesses, making prompt medical assessment and laboratory testing important when an infection is suspected.

The government advised anyone who develops symptoms to avoid close contact with others and seek guidance from public health authorities before visiting a healthcare facility.

It also urged people contacted by public health teams during the tracing exercise, including potentially exposed airline passengers, to provide the required information and comply with official instructions.

The confirmation comes amid an evolving regional Ebola outbreak. In an advisory issued on October 6, the NCDC raised concerns about the risk of importing the infection following a confirmed case in Kenya linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The World Health Organisation says Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people who are showing symptoms, as well as through contaminated objects and surfaces.

People infected with the virus do not transmit it before symptoms develop, while the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days.

Nigeria previously recorded an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller arrived in Lagos from Liberia.

The case led to an emergency public health response involving the Federal Ministry of Health, the NCDC, the Lagos State Government and international health partners.

According to a report published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nigeria recorded 19 laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases and one probable case during the 2014 outbreak.

The report stated that 894 contacts were identified and monitored as health authorities worked to prevent further transmission. Eight deaths were recorded among the confirmed and probable cases.

The outbreak was eventually contained.