Health authorities in Nigeria are working to establish how a woman diagnosed with Ebola contracted the infection after laboratory findings revealed similarities between the virus detected in her and one identified in Kenya.

The findings have added a new dimension to investigations into the outbreak, although officials caution that the genetic relationship does not prove that the infection was transmitted directly between the two patients.

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed the results on Friday, October 23, following tests conducted on the country’s confirmed case.

Pate said scientists had established that the viral samples were related but had not found evidence connecting the patients through travel or direct contact.

The investigation involved the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the Institute of Genomics and Global Health at Redeemer’s University in Ede, Osun State, led by Professor Christian Happi.

Nigeria confirmed its first case of Bundibugyo Ebola on October 20. The patient had recently travelled from Uganda, prompting health officials to investigate her movements and possible exposure before she was diagnosed.

Authorities are continuing to monitor people identified as contacts of the patient. While some have tested negative, laboratory results for others were still pending in the latest update.

The government has also intensified disease surveillance, strengthened laboratory services and reinforced procedures for identifying and managing suspected infections. Healthcare facilities have been instructed to report suspected cases promptly.

The NCDC announced that it would begin releasing brief daily updates from October 24 to keep the public informed as investigations progress.

Pate urged Nigerians to follow guidance from recognised health agencies and avoid circulating unverified claims about the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the genetic findings have drawn attention to the wider Ebola response in the region, where Kenya is also managing confirmed infections.

Officials have emphasised that determining whether the two cases share an epidemiological connection will require further investigation. For now, the genetic similarities provide a lead for scientists but do not establish how the virus reached Nigeria.