Popular health educator Aproko Doctor has shared a message on 21 October 2026 to explain what Nigerians should do after the Federal Government confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja.
Laboratory tests confirmed the infection on Tuesday, 20 October. The patient is a woman who flew into Nigeria from Uganda. Her symptoms began around 7 October, and she received care at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory before the diagnosis. She is now in isolation. Health Minister Muhammad Pate said officials have identified 44 contacts and are monitoring them.
Aproko Doctor told followers that Ebola does not spread through the air and that a person cannot pass it on before symptoms start. People who feel well and have not been near a sick person only need to wash their hands with soap and water.
The post gave clear steps for people who had travelled to Uganda, Kenya, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last three weeks. They should watch for fever, weakness, headache, vomiting or diarrhoea. If any of these start, they should avoid people and call the NCDC toll-free line at 6232 before visiting a chemist or hospital. The line runs 24 hours a day. “Every fever is not malaria. This time, call first,” Aproko Doctor said in the video.
Aproko Doctor also told families not to touch a suspected patient or the body of someone who dies, and not to wash a body. The message warned against the salt water remedy that spread during the 2014 outbreak and killed two people. “And abeg, no salt water,” the post said. Aproko Doctor asked followers to send the video to family WhatsApp groups before false broadcasts arrive.
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Uganda eventually responded on 20 October. Its health ministry said the place of exposure is still under investigation and that travel through Uganda alone does not show where the woman caught the virus. The ministry said Nigeria has not yet given details of her travel route or medical history. Uganda declared its own outbreak over on 28 July 2026.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. It began in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and officials declared it on 15 May 2026. The strain has no approved vaccine. Kenya has reported nine cases.
