ABUJA, Nigeria — The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Bundibugyo Ebola virus responsible for Nigeria's newly confirmed infection has no specifically licensed vaccine or approved antiviral treatment, placing greater emphasis on early detection, supportive medical care and effective public health interventions.

The warning followed laboratory confirmation of the country's first Ebola case in more than a decade, involving a woman who recently returned to Nigeria after travelling through East Africa.

Nigeria's Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the confirmed infection on Tuesday, October 20, prompting the activation of emergency surveillance and contact-tracing procedures in the Federal Capital Territory.

Health authorities subsequently identified the virus as the Bundibugyo species, which differs from the Ebola virus responsible for the devastating West African epidemic between 2014 and 2016.

Speaking during an emergency meeting on the outbreak, the Director of Public Health Laboratory Services at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Olajumoke Babatunde, disclosed that molecular laboratory examinations had established the identity of the virus.

“We did three levels of tests, but all molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” she explained.

According to WHO guidance, the existing licensed Ebola vaccine, Ervebo, is specifically approved for disease caused by the Zaire Ebola virus and has not been licensed for the Bundibugyo species.

Research is continuing into vaccines that could provide protection against Bundibugyo, including investigations into whether existing vaccines might offer some cross-protection.

Although no specifically approved antiviral treatment is currently available for the strain, patients can receive supportive medical care, including fluid replacement, management of complications and treatment aimed at maintaining organ function.

The development comes amid an expanding regional outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 2026 and has subsequently affected other African countries.

In Nigeria, health officials have identified 44 people who may have been exposed to the infected patient, including healthcare workers, caregivers, fellow patients and individuals connected to her travel history.

The identified contacts are being monitored while investigators continue searching for additional people who may have been exposed.

Public and private healthcare institutions have been directed to strengthen infection prevention measures, promptly isolate suspected cases and report potential infections to the appropriate public health authorities.

The WHO has stressed that early diagnosis, contact tracing and adequate protection for frontline health workers remain essential to containing the disease.

Ebola spreads primarily through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, or through contact with contaminated materials.

Health authorities have urged Nigerians to remain vigilant without panic and to rely on official information rather than unverified claims circulating on social media.

Nigeria successfully contained an imported Ebola outbreak in 2014, and officials maintain that lessons from that experience will support the current response.

However, the absence of a specifically licensed vaccine for Bundibugyo underscores the importance of timely medical intervention and sustained coordination among health agencies.

The NCDC has activated its incident management system, while the WHO and other international health partners are supporting efforts to prevent further transmission.

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