Ebola: A virus that refuses to disappear

By Chioma Obinna WHEN late Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh insisted that Patrick Sawyer be isolated at a Lagos hospital in July 2014, she was confronting a disease Nigeria had never experienced on that scale. Her decision to trust her clinical judgement, despite the pressure surrounding the patient, became a defining moment in the country’s fight against Ebola. Adadevoh recognised the danger, alerted the authorities and helped trigger the response that eventually contained the outbreak. She contracted the virus and died on August 19, 2014. Nigeria recorded 20 Ebola cases and eight deaths during the outbreak. The country was declared free of Ebola transmission by the World Health Organisation on October 20, 2014. More than a decade later, Ebola continues to challenge public health systems.

The reported confirmation on October 20, 2026, of an imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease in a woman who travelled from Uganda and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja has brought the disease back into focus. A threat that remains Why does Ebola remain such a formidable threat despite advances in medicine, surveillance and outbreak response? The answer lies in the virus’s biology, limited treatment options for some species, exposure to infected wildlife, international travel and weaknesses in health systems. Fear, misinformation and distrust can further undermine efforts to control outbreaks. Adadevoh’s story remains relevant because Ebola’s first encounter with a health system may not appear extraordinary. It may begin with a patient whose symptoms resemble those of a familiar illness and a doctor who must decide whether to look beyond the obvious. The danger behind familiar symptoms For Dr Rotimi Adesanya, a family physician and public health expert, Ebola is dangerous because…