Cameroon's minister of public health, Dr Malachie Manaouda, convened a crisis meeting of the strategic health emergencies committee after Nigeria confirmed a case of Ebola virus disease in Abuja, the ministry said on 21 October 2026.
Nigeria's federal ministry of health and social welfare announced the confirmed case on 20 October 2026. The patient, a woman who recently arrived from Uganda, began showing symptoms on 7 October 2026, four days after her arrival, and went to a private hospital in Abuja on 11 October 2026. Laboratory tests confirmed infection with the Bundibugyo strain of the virus on 20 October 2026. She is in isolation and receiving treatment.
Nigeria's health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, said 44 people who had contact with the patient had been identified, including health workers and people who travelled with her. They are under health surveillance. No community transmission has been established in Nigeria, the federal health ministry said.
The Bundibugyo strain has spread in Africa since an outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2026, and Kenya has also reported cases. The meeting in Yaounde follows Nigeria's confirmation and concerns Cameroon's response to the outbreak in a neighbouring country.