Nigeria Has No Ebola Cases After Patient, Husband Evacuated to Switzerland — WHO

Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the country’s index patient and her husband to Switzerland, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi, has announced.

Janabi disclosed this in a post on X on Monday, saying the Ebola patient and her husband, who was identified as a contact of the case, were medically evacuated to Switzerland earlier in the day.

He said the evacuation was undertaken because both the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens, while the patient is clinically stable after receiving treatment in Nigeria.

According to the WHO Regional Director, the Nigerian medical team successfully managed the patient through the acute phase of the illness and stabilised her condition before the evacuation.

“With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases,” Janabi said.

The development marks an important milestone in Nigeria’s response to the imported Ebola case, which was confirmed by health authorities earlier this month.

WHO Commends Nigeria’s Ebola Response

Janabi congratulated the Federal Government, Nigerian health workers, clinicians, emergency responders and other partners involved in the response to the case.

On behalf of the WHO and its partners, he described the successful management and evacuation of the patient as a significant achievement and evidence of the capacity of African health systems to respond to public health emergencies.

“This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to what Africa can accomplish when we work together,” he said.

He also praised the resilience and leadership demonstrated by Nigerian health authorities and medical personnel throughout the response.

“This is a proud moment demonstrating African expertise, resilience, and leadership in public health,” Janabi added.

52 Contacts Remain Under Follow-Up in Nigeria

Despite Nigeria currently having no Ebola cases, the WHO official stressed that vigilance remains critical.

He said Nigerian health authorities would continue monitoring 52 contacts linked to the index case.

The patient’s husband, identified as contact number 53, will be followed up by Swiss health authorities following the evacuation.

“Switzerland will assume responsibility for the continued management of the patient and the follow-up of contact number 53, her husband,” Janabi said.

The continued monitoring of the contacts is part of the public health measures being maintained to ensure that any potential development is detected promptly.

Nigeria’s Index Case Previously Stabilised

The development follows an earlier confirmation by Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, that the patient had shown significant clinical improvement.

Pate said the patient was stable, conscious and communicating, with laboratory results approaching baseline levels.

The minister, however, cautioned that clinical improvement did not necessarily mean that the patient was no longer infectious, stressing that strict public health protocols were followed during the evacuation.

The patient was evacuated alongside her husband, who had remained asymptomatic.

Pate had also commended the clinical and public health teams involved in the patient’s care and evacuation, saying the process was conducted in line with established public health measures.

NCDC Continues Contact Monitoring

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had previously reported that 53 contacts linked to the index case had been identified, categorised and followed up.

The contacts included healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s spouse.

The index patient, a 42-year-old woman, had returned to Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3, 2026, arriving in Abuja on an international flight.

She subsequently developed symptoms and sought medical attention at private health facilities before the NCDC was notified on October 19.

Laboratory testing at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory confirmed the Ebola infection on October 20.

The reported symptoms included fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and sore throat, while bleeding was not reported.

The NCDC and other public health authorities have continued surveillance and contact follow-up as part of efforts to ensure that the imported case does not result in further transmission.

While the evacuation means Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases, health authorities are expected to maintain vigilance until the monitoring of all identified contacts is completed.