Uganda is seeking additional information from Nigeria about a woman diagnosed with Ebola after travelling through the country, as authorities work to establish where she contracted the virus.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health said the woman passed through the country in early October without showing symptoms. She developed symptoms after reaching Nigeria, where her infection was later confirmed.
The ministry said Nigeria had not yet supplied the patient’s detailed travel itinerary and clinical history, information it considers necessary to guide further investigations and possible contact tracing.
Ugandan officials cautioned that the woman’s passage through the country was not evidence that she contracted the disease there. The source of infection remains under investigation.
Uganda insists it has no confirmed active Ebola cases, despite the new infection reported in Nigeria.
In its Tuesday statement, the Ministry of Health said it would increase screening and strengthen public health controls at points of entry to guard against possible transmission.
The government also urged residents to remain calm and maintain basic hygiene, including regular handwashing and the use of hand sanitiser. Limited arrangements for humanitarian and diplomatic travel would remain in place.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Uganda free of the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak on August 27, 2026, after 42 days of monitoring without new cases.
Nigeria announced its first Ebola case in the current outbreak on Tuesday after laboratory tests confirmed the infection in a woman who arrived in Abuja on an international flight from Uganda.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said the patient had been admitted to a private hospital, where she received treatment before her diagnosis was confirmed. She was subsequently isolated and placed under medical care.
Nigerian health authorities identified 44 people who had been in close contact with the patient and began monitoring them for possible signs of infection.
Investigations are continuing to establish the woman’s movements and determine the likely source of her exposure.
The case has emerged amid a major Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has spread beyond its borders to several African countries, including Uganda.
Congolese authorities have reported more than 9,400 cases and over 4,500 deaths, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history.
Kenya has also reported cases linked to the wider outbreak, prompting health authorities to intensify disease surveillance and response measures.
Uganda’s health authorities say they will continue strengthening screening at entry points while awaiting information from Nigeria to support the ongoing investigation.
