Ebola Patient in Abuja Develops Multiple Organ Failure as Uganda Denies Active Outbreak

The condition of the Ebola patient receiving treatment in Abuja has reportedly deteriorated, with multiple organ failure developing, according to the BBC. Olajumoke Babatunde, Director of Public Health Laboratory Service at the NCDC, disclosed the development during an emergency meeting in Abuja, noting that three rounds of molecular testing confirmed infection with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, a finding also confirmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The patient, identified in reports as a female diplomat, is in isolation at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where she is receiving medical care. No licensed vaccine or specific antiviral treatment is currently approved for Bundibugyo virus disease, making supportive medical care and strict infection prevention measures central to the response.

Nigerian health authorities have identified 44 people who may have been exposed to the patient, including healthcare workers, other patients, caregivers and travel-related contacts, as contact tracing and surveillance efforts continue. According to the reported timeline, the woman travelled through Uganda after visiting eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), arrived in Nigeria on October 5, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought treatment on October 11.

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, confirmed the case and said contact tracing had begun to identify and monitor people who may have been exposed. Authorities are continuing investigations into the patient’s movements and possible exposure to establish where the infection occurred and assess the risk of further transmission.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has denied having an active Ebola outbreak, stating that the patient travelled through the country after visiting eastern DRC for business and showed no symptoms while in Uganda. In a statement signed by Charles Olaro, the ministry’s Director-General of Health Services, officials stressed that transit through Uganda does not establish where the woman contracted the virus, adding that the location of exposure remains under investigation.

Uganda also said it had not received sufficiently detailed information about the patient’s travel itinerary and clinical history from Nigeria to guide further investigations, while pledging to strengthen screening and public health controls at its points of entry. The case has renewed regional concern over Ebola, including a reported Bundibugyo virus disease case in Kenya, as health authorities in Nigeria and neighbouring countries work to establish the source of infection and prevent further transmission.