WorldStage— The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that Nigeria currently has no confirmed Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the country’s lone index patient and her husband to Switzerland.
Dr. Mohamed Janabi, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, confirmed the update on Monday, noting that the evacuation took place early in the morning.
Her diagnosis marked the first confirmed case of Ebola in Nigeria in more than a decade.
The couple had recently returned to the Nigerian capital from Uganda, after which she spent a week at a private clinic experiencing symptoms before the infection was detected.
Both the patient—a 42-year-old Ugandan-born Swiss national and wife of a Swiss diplomat—and her husband were airlifted out of Abuja.
Nigerian health authorities had treated the woman through the acute phase of the illness at a private clinic and a medical facility after she tested positive for the virus on October 20.
Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate stated that her condition had improved significantly, describing her as stable, conscious, and communicative before the flight, though he stressed that strict containment protocols remained necessary due to ongoing infectivity risks.
Her husband, who showed no symptoms, accompanied her.
While WHO officials clarified that the country is currently free of confirmed cases rather than formally declared “Ebola-free,” health authorities are not scaling back precautions.
Nigerian health officials continue to actively monitor 52 identified contacts who crossed paths with the patient during her stay.
Meanwhile, Swiss medical authorities have assumed direct care of the patient and will maintain follow-up observations for her husband.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has maintained heightened surveillance, border screening, and airport checks as part of a wider regional response to active Ebola flare-ups reported in parts of East and Central Africa.
According to the World Health Organisation, Nigeria is actively tracking 52 contacts who may have been exposed to the patient.
Health officials continue to urge public vigilance and rapid reporting of any suspected symptoms.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has maintained a red alert at all major entry points, enforcing thermal screenings and border surveillance to prevent further transmission amidst a complex surge of the virus across Central and East Africa.
