Nigeria says two suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative, leaving the Abuja patient as its only confirmed case

Two people suspected of having Ebola in Yola, the capital of Nigeria's Adamawa State, have tested negative after two rounds of laboratory tests, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said on Saturday evening. The earlier case in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed Ebola infection in the country.

The result came only hours after the agency said two suspected cases had been found in the north-east, without naming the state.

What the tests showed

"Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EVD after two rounds of testing," NCDC Director-General Jide Idris said in a signed statement. He said there is no laboratory-confirmed case in Adamawa.

The two people sought medical care in Yola on October 30 with symptoms suggestive of the disease. The agency worked with the Adamawa State Ministry of Health and Human Services on the investigation. Reports described them as a 34-year-old pilot and his wife, a doctor; the NCDC has not named them, and that detail has not been officially confirmed.

Two rounds of testing matter. A single early test can miss the virus when levels in the blood are still low, which is why health agencies repeat them before declaring someone clear.

Nigeria's Ebola status at a glance

Question	Latest position
Confirmed cases in Nigeria	1, in the Federal Capital Territory
First confirmed	About 11 days ago
Strain	Bundibugyo
Suspected cases in Adamawa	2, both negative
Active positive cases	None, the NCDC chief said on October 27
Index patient	Evacuated to Switzerland

The NCDC chief cautioned last week that Nigeria should not yet consider itself Ebola-free, even with no active case in the country. He also rejected suggestions that the outbreak might be used to delay the 2027 elections, saying there was no reason to postpone them, though a widespread outbreak could raise health concerns.

The outbreak behind the alarm

Nigeria is one of five countries to detect the Bundibugyo virus in the current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The outbreak has grown into one of the largest on record, with deaths in Congo reported past 5,000 and health workers there staging a strike over conditions.

Bundibugyo is a rarer Ebola strain, and the vaccine widely used against the Zaire strain is not licensed for it, which is one reason health agencies are watching travel routes so closely.

What people in Nigeria should watch for

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick, or with contaminated materials. It does not spread through the air like flu. Symptoms include sudden fever, severe weakness, muscle pain and headache, followed in many cases by vomiting and diarrhoea. Anyone who develops these after contact with a suspected case, or after travel from an affected area, should contact health authorities rather than go straight to a crowded clinic.

Health workers in Adamawa and neighbouring states will keep surveillance in place. The next update to watch for is the NCDC's regular situation report, which will show whether contacts of the Abuja case have finished their monitoring period without falling ill.