INTERVIEW
Africa CDC chief warns ‘no country is safe’ as Ebola reaches Nigeria
The latest Ebola outbreak has killed nearly 4,700 people and is still spreading, with Nigeria recording its first case in more than a decade. The epidemic is not yet under control and tighter surveillance is needed, Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told RFI.
Issued on: 23/10/2026 - RFI
A man displays newspapers carrying headlines about Ebola in Nigeria. The country has confirmed its first case in more than a decade.
AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde - Afolabi Sotunde
The Nigerian patient is a woman who returned to the capital, Abuja, from Uganda on 3 October. Kaseya said she had stayed in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, and had never visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). If his account is correct, it would point to transmission in Uganda, which the Ugandan authorities deny.
Uganda’s health ministry said the woman had travelled to eastern DRC on business and only passed through Uganda. On Thursday, Pavel Ursu, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Nigeria, said the travel information supplied to the global body mentioned Uganda but no other country.
Kaseya said the woman was not diagnosed until 16 days after arriving in Nigeria, leaving health officials potentially facing a large number of contacts to trace. The WHO said 44 contacts had been identified and were being monitored, while investigators worked to establish where she became infected.
Widening crisis
The epidemic was declared in the DRC on 15 May. It is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Its latest figures, which cover the period from the start of the outbreak until Wednesday, show 9,735 confirmed cases and 4,690 deaths – overwhelmingly in the DRC.
This epidemic has been caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. WHO declared the outbreak a global health emergency on 17 May.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of someone who is unwell with the disease or has died from it, or with contaminated materials. People do not transmit it before symptoms appear. Symptoms can take up to 21 days to develop, which is why contacts are monitored for 21 days
Kaseya told RFI that countries needed to strengthen Ebola surveillance, and clarified comments he had made about international funding for the response which had attracted criticism.
RFI: How worrying is Nigeria’s first Ebola case in this outbreak?
Jean Kaseya: It shows that the outbreak is serious. We expect a large number of contacts. I speak very regularly with Nigeria’s health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, who is doing an excellent job.
The patient returned to Abuja on 3 October and developed symptoms on 6 October. She went to one private health facility, then another, before being admitted to hospital on 11 October. She was diagnosed on Monday. So we do expect a large number of contacts.
RFI: Before arriving in Abuja, the woman passed through Entebbe airport in Uganda after travelling from the DRC. Is that right?
JK: No, she never went to the DRC. She spent two weeks in Kampala with her husband and never left the city. She then travelled from Kampala to Abuja via Addis Ababa. She said she had no symptoms when she arrived in Abuja. The symptoms began a few days later.
Remember, symptoms can appear anywhere from zero to 21 days after infection. You could catch the virus one day and fall ill three days later, six days later or as late as day 20.
RFI: Does that mean there are Ebola cases in Uganda, contrary to what its authorities are saying?
JK: That is something we will discuss with the Ugandan authorities, to establish exactly where the woman stayed and who she was in contact with. I am also calling a major meeting of all African ministers on Wednesday to discuss cross-border movement.
Above all, we need to recognise that no country is safe unless we strengthen surveillance, not just at borders but in private and public health facilities too.
The Nigerian patient is a woman who returned to the capital, Abuja, from Uganda on 3 October. Kaseya said she had stayed in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, and had never visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). If his account is correct, it would point to transmission in Uganda, which the Ugandan authorities deny.
Uganda’s health ministry said the woman had travelled to eastern DRC on business and only passed through Uganda. On Thursday, Pavel Ursu, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Nigeria, said the travel information supplied to the global body mentioned Uganda but no other country.
Kaseya said the woman was not diagnosed until 16 days after arriving in Nigeria, leaving health officials potentially facing a large number of contacts to trace. The WHO said 44 contacts had been identified and were being monitored, while investigators worked to establish where she became infected.
Widening crisis
The epidemic was declared in the DRC on 15 May. It is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Its latest figures, which cover the period from the start of the outbreak until Wednesday, show 9,735 confirmed cases and 4,690 deaths – overwhelmingly in the DRC.
This epidemic has been caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. WHO declared the outbreak a global health emergency on 17 May.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of someone who is unwell with the disease or has died from it, or with contaminated materials. People do not transmit it before symptoms appear. Symptoms can take up to 21 days to develop, which is why contacts are monitored for 21 days
Kaseya told RFI that countries needed to strengthen Ebola surveillance, and clarified comments he had made about international funding for the response which had attracted criticism.
RFI: How worrying is Nigeria’s first Ebola case in this outbreak?
Jean Kaseya: It shows that the outbreak is serious. We expect a large number of contacts. I speak very regularly with Nigeria’s health minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, who is doing an excellent job.
The patient returned to Abuja on 3 October and developed symptoms on 6 October. She went to one private health facility, then another, before being admitted to hospital on 11 October. She was diagnosed on Monday. So we do expect a large number of contacts.
RFI: Before arriving in Abuja, the woman passed through Entebbe airport in Uganda after travelling from the DRC. Is that right?
JK: No, she never went to the DRC. She spent two weeks in Kampala with her husband and never left the city. She then travelled from Kampala to Abuja via Addis Ababa. She said she had no symptoms when she arrived in Abuja. The symptoms began a few days later.
Remember, symptoms can appear anywhere from zero to 21 days after infection. You could catch the virus one day and fall ill three days later, six days later or as late as day 20.
RFI: Does that mean there are Ebola cases in Uganda, contrary to what its authorities are saying?
JK: That is something we will discuss with the Ugandan authorities, to establish exactly where the woman stayed and who she was in contact with. I am also calling a major meeting of all African ministers on Wednesday to discuss cross-border movement.
Above all, we need to recognise that no country is safe unless we strengthen surveillance, not just at borders but in private and public health facilities too.
Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said countries must strengthen Ebola surveillance at borders and in health facilities. © Amanuel Sileshi / AFP
RFI: Has the outbreak passed its peak?
JK: First, it is spreading geographically within the DRC, where eight provinces are now affected. Second, it is spreading across Africa. Third, there are still around 65-70 new cases a day. With the virus continuing to circulate, and many cases emerging in the community, we say the outbreak remains serious and is not yet under control.
RFI: Kenya has recorded nine cases, including one death. Is next June’s Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, which Kenya is co-hosting with its neighbours Uganda and Tanzania, at risk?
JK: No. Let me be very clear. The Africa Cup of Nations is not at risk at this stage because Kenya is doing an excellent job. All nine cases identified in Kenya were already on the contact list. Uganda now has a very extensive contact list, with around 140 people on it. Uganda has done an excellent job.
We need to search thoroughly for cases. The outbreak remains serious in the DRC, and you will have seen the case of the person who travelled through Uganda to Kenya. I think important work is being done in both countries.
So I am not particularly concerned about the Africa Cup of Nations. I will discuss it with Patrice Motsepe [president of the Confederation of African Football]. We will have a meeting to discuss all this. But I think my advice to him will be that, at this stage, there is no cause for concern about the Africa Cup of Nations.
RFI: Last week in Kinshasa, the DRC's capital, you said the country's authorities had no information about roughly $700 million of the $962 million raised by the international community, and that this was unacceptable. Some people took your comments about a lack of clarity in the management of Ebola funding to imply that the money had been embezzled…
JK: There is no need to read between the lines. I said it very clearly. I said there was a lack of clarity because the government had no knowledge of these resources. I never said the money had been embezzled. I never said it had been misused. All we want is for governments to know about everything coming into their countries. That is what the African sovereignty we promote every day should mean.
RFI: So you have no suspicions?
JK: We have no suspicions. We are seeking information. We are building a partnership based on respect and transparency. African governments want to work with everyone. Africa CDC works with everyone. But we want partners who come and work with us to be fully transparent.
This story was adapted from the original version in French by Christophe Boisbouvier, using additional information from newswires.
RFI: Has the outbreak passed its peak?
JK: First, it is spreading geographically within the DRC, where eight provinces are now affected. Second, it is spreading across Africa. Third, there are still around 65-70 new cases a day. With the virus continuing to circulate, and many cases emerging in the community, we say the outbreak remains serious and is not yet under control.
RFI: Kenya has recorded nine cases, including one death. Is next June’s Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, which Kenya is co-hosting with its neighbours Uganda and Tanzania, at risk?
JK: No. Let me be very clear. The Africa Cup of Nations is not at risk at this stage because Kenya is doing an excellent job. All nine cases identified in Kenya were already on the contact list. Uganda now has a very extensive contact list, with around 140 people on it. Uganda has done an excellent job.
We need to search thoroughly for cases. The outbreak remains serious in the DRC, and you will have seen the case of the person who travelled through Uganda to Kenya. I think important work is being done in both countries.
So I am not particularly concerned about the Africa Cup of Nations. I will discuss it with Patrice Motsepe [president of the Confederation of African Football]. We will have a meeting to discuss all this. But I think my advice to him will be that, at this stage, there is no cause for concern about the Africa Cup of Nations.
RFI: Last week in Kinshasa, the DRC's capital, you said the country's authorities had no information about roughly $700 million of the $962 million raised by the international community, and that this was unacceptable. Some people took your comments about a lack of clarity in the management of Ebola funding to imply that the money had been embezzled…
JK: There is no need to read between the lines. I said it very clearly. I said there was a lack of clarity because the government had no knowledge of these resources. I never said the money had been embezzled. I never said it had been misused. All we want is for governments to know about everything coming into their countries. That is what the African sovereignty we promote every day should mean.
RFI: So you have no suspicions?
JK: We have no suspicions. We are seeking information. We are building a partnership based on respect and transparency. African governments want to work with everyone. Africa CDC works with everyone. But we want partners who come and work with us to be fully transparent.
This story was adapted from the original version in French by Christophe Boisbouvier, using additional information from newswires.
Kenya reports second Ebola death
24.10.2026, DPA
A second person has died from the Ebola virus in Kenya, according to local authorities.
The 65-year-old woman was a relative of the first Ebola case recorded in the country, the Health Ministry said in a statement published on Friday evening.
The patient, who died on Friday evening, had been in quarantine and receiving treatment since mid-October after developing symptoms, it said.
A total of seven people are currently being treated for Ebola in isolation, according to the ministry, which said that there are currently no indications that the virus is spreading further among the population.
Kenya recorded its first case of Ebola on October 6, after a man contracted the virus in neighbouring Congo, which has been grappling with one of the worst outbreaks of Ebola ever recorded.
The man returned to Kenya where he died in hospital.
The outbreak in Congo was detected in May, with more than 9,700 cases recorded since then.
Over 4,700 people have died after contracting the virus.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have described the outbreak as the fastest growing in history.
(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH
Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case in Africa's latest outbreak, while Kenya reported its ninth infection, raising fears of further spread across the continent. Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya warned of an “extremely serious threat” and urged the international community to send funding, medical supplies and health workers.
Issued on: 21/10/2026
By: FRANCE 24
FILE - Cars drive past the National Assembly building in Abuja, Nigeria, on November 2, 2023. © Chinedu Asadu, AP
Nigeria said Tuesday it had recorded its first Ebola case of Africa's latest outbreak, as Kenya declared its ninth case, prompting a regional health official to warn of "an extremely serious threat".
The case in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, was detected in a woman who had travelled from Uganda to the capital Abuja, the government confirmed.
Since a major Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, the deadly viral haemorrhagic fever has spread to several countries across the continent, including neighbouring Uganda.
Kenya's health ministry meanwhile reported its ninth Ebola case of the outbreak on Tuesday.
"This Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak has already become the most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history, affecting multiple countries across three regions of Africa," said the director general of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya.
In several months, the DRC's Ebola epidemic has become the deadliest in the country's history, killing 4,381 people out of more than 9,000 confirmed cases, according to the health authorities.
Nigeria said Tuesday it had recorded its first Ebola case of Africa's latest outbreak, as Kenya declared its ninth case, prompting a regional health official to warn of "an extremely serious threat".
The case in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, was detected in a woman who had travelled from Uganda to the capital Abuja, the government confirmed.
Since a major Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, the deadly viral haemorrhagic fever has spread to several countries across the continent, including neighbouring Uganda.
Kenya's health ministry meanwhile reported its ninth Ebola case of the outbreak on Tuesday.
"This Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak has already become the most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history, affecting multiple countries across three regions of Africa," said the director general of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya.
In several months, the DRC's Ebola epidemic has become the deadliest in the country's history, killing 4,381 people out of more than 9,000 confirmed cases, according to the health authorities.
Cover image: EYE ON AFRICA © FRANCE 24
15:01
15:01
'Act now'
Kaseya, who heads the African Union health agency, urged the international community to send money, medical supplies and health workers to help.
"With mortality approaching 50% in DRC, we face an extremely serious threat," he posted on X.
"My appeal to the international community is urgent: ACT NOW."
The outbreak has now spread from central Africa to the continent's east and west.
Kenya reported its first Ebola case on October 6 – a businessman in his forties who had lived in the DRC.
Most of the eight cases reported since in the east African country have been among people with a close connection to the first victim, who died in the capital Nairobi on October 5.
The ninth case is a 24-year-old man, described as "a close family member of the first case", and confirmed positive on Monday, the health ministry said.
"He was isolated at the first sign of illness, tested and started on treatment immediately upon confirmation of his positive test result," it said, adding he "was already in quarantine when he fell ill".
The United States on Tuesday warned its citizens against travel to Kenya due to "health risks".
Cover image: EYE ON AFRICA © FRANCE 24
15:26
15:26
Contact tracing
In Nigeria, the patient arrived on an international flight from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital, "where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed", Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said in a statement.
"She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care," he said.
"Contact tracing has commenced with 44 close contacts identified presently," the statement added, "with public health teams identifying and monitoring people who may have been exposed, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts".
Late Tuesday, the Ugandan Health Ministry said there were "no confirmed active Ebola cases" in the country, and that "travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here".
It is the west African country's first registered Ebola case since 2014.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
In Nigeria, the patient arrived on an international flight from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital, "where she received care for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed", Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said in a statement.
"She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care," he said.
"Contact tracing has commenced with 44 close contacts identified presently," the statement added, "with public health teams identifying and monitoring people who may have been exposed, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts".
Late Tuesday, the Ugandan Health Ministry said there were "no confirmed active Ebola cases" in the country, and that "travel through Uganda does not establish that infection occurred here".
It is the west African country's first registered Ebola case since 2014.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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