Nigeria’s Ebola patient is Swiss diplomat’s wife

Switzerland’s foreign ministry confirmed on Oct. 23, 2026, that Nigeria’s first Ebola patient in more than a decade is the wife of a Swiss diplomat posted in Abuja, as investigators work to establish where the 42-year-old woman caught the virus.

The finding matters because the source of the infection is still unknown, and 44 contacts first identified by Nigerian authorities are still being traced. The woman, who was born in Uganda and lives in Abuja, tested positive on Oct. 20, the BBC and Reuters reported, citing the Swiss ministry, the World Health Organization and Africa CDC.

She is in isolation and showing signs of improvement, according to the WHO. Her husband is also in isolation as a precaution and has no symptoms, the Swiss ministry said. The embassy has 25 staff, eight Swiss and 17 local employees, all reported to be in good health. They do not need to isolate, a decision reached with Nigeria’s health ministry and the WHO, and the embassy remains open.

Pavel Ursu, the WHO representative in Nigeria, said the woman returned to Abuja on Oct. 3 after being in Uganda since Sept. 16. She developed symptoms four days later and spent about a week at private health facilities in the capital before she was diagnosed, according to the Swiss account relayed by the BBC. The Swiss ministry said she is believed to have been infected while travelling in Uganda.

Ugandan officials had earlier said she also travelled to eastern Congo for business. Switzerland told Reuters she did not go there. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response at Africa CDC, said there is no validated information that she travelled to Congo. Uganda said it has no confirmed active Ebola cases and that her transit through the country does not prove she was infected there.

Investigators are also examining whether she crossed paths at Entebbe International Airport with a Kenyan man who later died of Ebola. He travelled from Congo through Entebbe on Oct. 3, the same day she passed through, and died shortly after arriving in Nairobi. “One of the issues we are currently investigating has been some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport,” Mankoula said, stressing that it is one of several scenarios and that no link has been established.

“The source of exposure is still not known,” said Dr. Patrick Otim, a WHO emergency response official, who noted that interviews with the patient are limited while she is hospitalized. Ursu said the investigation is reconstructing her full travel and exposure history. Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said genomic sequencing will help determine whether the case is linked to other active outbreaks in the region.

Africa CDC declared the Bundibugyo-strain outbreak on May 15. Congo has recorded roughly 4,600 deaths in its deadliest Ebola outbreak to date, and Kenya has confirmed nine cases, all traced to one primary patient. Kenya’s health director-general, Dr. Patrick Amoth, said “we are not out of the woods.” Otim warned that the long, porous border between Congo and Uganda makes screening difficult because thousands of people cross daily, many at unofficial points.

Canada News Media first reported Nigeria’s confirmed case on Oct. 21, and has followed the outbreak as it spread, including in Congo and Kenya.

For Canadians, the case is a reminder to check official guidance before travelling to the region. Canada News Media found no Canadian announcement tied to Nigeria as of publication. Immigration-law summaries said Ottawa earlier suspended immigration documents for residents of Uganda, Congo and South Sudan for 90 days from May 27, 2026, and required some returning travellers to quarantine, but Canada News Media could not confirm which measures remain in force. Travellers should consult the Government of Canada’s travel advisories at travel.gc.ca.

Nigerian authorities are continuing to trace contacts beyond the 44 initially identified, and genomic sequencing is expected to show whether the case connects to the wider outbreak. Switzerland said it is considering repatriating the woman.

Via BBC, Reuters, GBC Ghana and The Sun (Nigeria).

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