Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases after the country’s only confirmed patient and her husband were medically evacuated to Switzerland, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, has said.
Janabi made the announcement on Monday following the evacuation of the patient from Abuja earlier in the day. He said both the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens, with Switzerland now taking responsibility for the woman’s continued treatment and follow-up of her husband.
According to the WHO official, the patient was clinically stable after Nigerian medical teams successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilised her condition.
“With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases,” Janabi said.
Despite the development, Janabi stressed that Nigeria’s Ebola response is not over, noting that health authorities will continue monitoring 52 contacts linked to the confirmed case.
Her husband, who is listed as contact number 53, will now be followed up by Swiss authorities alongside the patient’s continued medical management.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had previously identified 53 contacts connected to the index case, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and members of the patient’s household.
Janabi congratulated the Federal Government, health workers, clinicians, emergency responders and other partners involved in the response, describing the successful management of the case as a significant achievement.
He said the outcome demonstrated Africa’s capacity, resilience and leadership in responding to public health emergencies, particularly when countries and health institutions work together.
The WHO official, however, urged authorities and the public to remain vigilant despite the evacuation, stressing the importance of continued contact monitoring and other public health measures.
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20 after laboratory tests established that a woman who had recently travelled from Uganda was infected with the Bundibugyo species of the virus.
The patient had arrived in Abuja on October 3 and later developed symptoms before her diagnosis.
Before her evacuation, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the patient was stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory results approaching baseline levels.
Pate, however, cautioned that clinical improvement did not necessarily mean the patient was no longer infectious, explaining that strict protocols were followed during the evacuation.
The evacuation therefore removes the only confirmed Ebola patient from Nigeria, but health authorities will continue surveillance and monitoring of the identified contacts to ensure that any potential secondary infections are detected promptly.
WHO’s announcement comes amid a wider Ebola outbreak affecting parts of Africa, with health authorities continuing to strengthen surveillance and containment measures across affected and potentially exposed countries.
