WorldStage– The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has confirmed that Nigeria’s index Ebola virus disease patient departed Abuja for Switzerland in the morning of Monday, October 26, 2026.
The patient, identified as a 42-year-old woman and the wife of a Swiss diplomat, was flown out early Monday morning from the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
She was accompanied by her spouse, who health officials report remains entirely asymptomatic.
Making the announcement via his official X account, Prof. Pate disclosed that he approved the cross-border referral on behalf of the Federal Government.
Providing updates on her medical status prior to take-off, the Minister noted that the patient showed significant health improvements.
“The index patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results were closing towards baseline,” Prof. Pate stated.
However, the health minister issued a strong caveat, warning that physical improvements do not equal a total clearance of the virus.
He stressed that she could still be infectious, which necessitated strict public health and containment protocols during her transfer to the Rega air ambulance.
The patient, who is of Ugandan origin, originally arrived in Abuja on October 3 and began displaying symptoms four days later, testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
Her diagnosis on October 20 marked Nigeria’s first imported case in the current regional outbreak, sparking rapid containment protocols by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
Despite the patient’s departure, Nigerian health authorities are maintaining a heightened state of vigilance.
NCDC Director-General Jide Idris confirmed that health workers are actively monitoring 53 primary contacts, including 44 hospital personnel who managed the patient before her isolation. These individuals will remain under a strict 21-day quarantine to prevent any localized transmission.
