EXCLUSIVE: Ebola: 34-year-old pilot, wife identified as suspected cases who tested negative in North-east Nigeria

Health workers wearing protective equipment.

A 34-year-old pilot and his wife, a medical doctor, were the two people investigated for suspected Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Adamawa State after developing symptoms including fever, vomiting, fatigue, headache, cough, bleeding gums and nosebleeds.

Although Nigerian officials said two suspected Ebola cases were being investigated in the state and eventually turned negative, their identities were not disclosed. PREMIUM TIMES can now disclose the officials’ identities, though we are redacting their names.

An internal memo from the Adamawa State Ministry of Health and Human Services, obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES, said the couple were admitted to the isolation centre of the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola, on 29 October.

The memo, dated 30 October 2026 and signed by the State Epidemiologist, Jones Kadabiyu, said the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) received the report at 6:45 a.m. following a clinician’s report from MAUTH.

The development came as health authorities intensified surveillance following Nigeria’s confirmation of its first Ebola case in the current outbreak.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had on Saturday announced that two suspected Ebola cases had been identified in the North-east, but did not initially disclose the state where the cases were detected.

However, the agency later confirmed that the two suspected cases were in Adamawa, noting that the laboratory tests on samples from both individuals were negative for Ebola after two rounds of testing.

In a statement signed by its Director-General, Jide Idris, the NCDC said it was working with the Adamawa State government to investigate the suspected cases.

The agency said it isolated the two individuals and immediately activated public health measures while collecting samples for laboratory testing.

“Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing,” Mr Idris said.

The NCDC said there is currently no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa State, adding that the previously confirmed case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) remains the only confirmed case in Nigeria.

According to the memo, the pilot developed symptoms on 13 October, while his wife developed similar symptoms on 25 October.

The names of the two patients are contained in the documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES. However, this newspaper is withholding their identities to protect their privacy.

A preliminary report dated 31 October from Yola North Local Government Area (LGA), Adamawa State, said the pilot travelled to Kenya “for personal reasons” on 14 October and returned to Nigeria on 25 October. It said he had developed a fever before his trip and was treated for malaria.

“Prior to his departure, he reportedly developed a fever on 13 October 2026 and was treated for malaria. He reportedly remained well while in Kenya,” it noted.

However, upon returning to Yola, he developed symptoms including fever, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, headache, cough, bleeding gums and nosebleeds. His wife subsequently developed similar symptoms after caring for him at home.

They were both admitted at the MAUTH isolation centre.

The state health authorities collected samples from both patients on 30 October and transported them to the National Reference Laboratory for testing, according to the report.

The memo report said 18 contacts had been identified, traced and line-listed, while the preliminary report dated 31 October put the number at 17.

The PHEOC also notified the State Rapid Response Team, the State NCDC office, Local Government Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF.

The state health authorities recommended continued contact tracing, infection prevention and control measures, enhanced surveillance and coordination with relevant authorities.

The NCDC has urged Nigerians to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information.

It also advised people who develop symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly after a relevant exposure, to seek immediate medical attention.

Nigeria is one of five countries that have detected Bundibugyo virus disease during the current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May.

The outbreak has remained concentrated in the DRC but has spread beyond the country.

Nigeria’s first confirmed case of Ebola in 2026 was a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja and tested positive on 20 October. She was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland for continued treatment.

The NCDC’s latest situation report said 62 contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case had been identified and were being monitored.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, had said genomic analysis showed that the virus detected in the Nigerian patient was closely related to the strain identified in Kenya’s first imported case. He, however, said the finding did not establish that the Nigerian patient was infected in Kenya.

WHO’s latest update reported 10,274 confirmed cases and 4,992 deaths in the DRC as of 28 October. Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Nigeria had one confirmed case at the time of the update.

Ebola is a viral disease that can cause severe illness and spreads mainly through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.