Uganda’s Ministry of Health has said that the traveller who tested positive for Bundibugyo virus disease, a strain of Ebola, in Nigeria showed no symptoms when she departed Uganda.
The ministry disclosed this in a statement dated October 23, 2026, signed by the Director General of Health Services, Prof. Charles Olaro.
According to the statement, investigations are ongoing to establish when the woman developed symptoms and the circumstances surrounding her infection.
“Available information indicates that the traveller did not exhibit symptoms at the time of departure from Uganda,” the ministry said.
It added that it was working with Nigerian health authorities to establish the woman’s complete travel history, movements, and possible exposure to the virus.
The ministry said it had requested additional information from Nigerian authorities, including detailed travel records and genomic sequencing results, where available, to support investigations into the case.
As part of precautionary measures, Uganda has reinstated traveller locator forms for all travellers, regardless of their country of origin, to facilitate follow-up and contact tracing where necessary.
The ministry also said infection prevention and control measures had been strengthened at points of entry and exit, as well as at health facilities, while surveillance activities continued across the country.
Nigeria confirmed an imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20, 2026. According to the World Health Organization, the patient is a woman who travelled from Uganda to Nigeria and developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in the country.
She reportedly sought medical attention at a private health facility in Abuja on October 11, before laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20.
Nigerian health authorities have intensified response efforts, including contact tracing, case investigation, and infection prevention measures, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention activating its incident management system to coordinate the response.
The investigation is continuing to establish the source of the infection and reconstruct the patient’s movements to determine whether other people may have been exposed to the virus.
