Africa CDC seeks urgent global support after Nigeria confirms first Ebola case

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) urgently sought international support to contain an Ebola outbreak in Nigeria following the confirmation of the first case. Africa CDC Director-General, Dr Jean Kaseya, made this appeal on October 20, 2026, after discussing the situation with Nigeria's Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate.

Kaseya commended Pate for promptly reporting the case and emphasized the importance of transparency and early reporting in saving lives and strengthening the response to the outbreak. The Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak, which Africa CDC declared on May 15, 2026, has now spread across multiple countries in three regions of Africa, making it the most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history.

Kaseya warned that the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains particularly severe, with a mortality rate nearing 50 per cent. The African nation has identified 44 contacts and is conducting contact tracing, while the patient remains in isolation. Nigeria's health authorities have intensified surveillance and urged health facilities to strengthen infection prevention and control measures.