Martha Udom
Nigeria currently has no active Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases following the medical evacuation of its only confirmed to Switzerland on Monday, the Federal Government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have confirmed.
The patient, a Ugandan-born woman married to a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, was evacuated aboard an air ambulance alongside her husband early on Monday, October 26, with the approval of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.
In a post on his official X account on Monday, Pate said the patient’s clinical condition had improved significantly before her evacuation.
“She was stable, conscious and able to communicate. This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” Pate said.
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health confirmed that the couple arrived safely in Switzerland on Monday, October 26. The woman is receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospitals for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsible for the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while her husband, who remains asymptomatic, is in isolation at University Hospital Zurich. Swiss authorities said the hospitals were equipped to manage the cases safely and that there was no risk to the Swiss public.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Prof. Mohamed Janabi, said the evacuation was arranged because the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens and Nigerian health teams had stabilised her condition.
“With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases,” Janabi said, emphasising the need for continued vigilance.
Contact Tracing Continues
Despite the patient’s evacuation, public health authorities continue to implement containment measures, including contact tracing and monitoring.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says 54 primary contacts have been identified and are being monitored. They include an e-hailing driver who transported the patient to a hospital in Abuja. More than 40 contacts are in designated quarantine facilities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while six others are self-quarantining at home.
NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, said contact monitoring and surveillance would continue. Under WHO criteria, an Ebola outbreak can generally be declared over after 42 days have passed since the last confirmed case tests negative twice, provided no further cases are detected.
Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease on October 20, 2026, after a woman who had recently travelled to Uganda tested positive. Health authorities are still investigating how she contracted the virus.
Health authorities have strengthened surveillance and preparedness measures across the country to detect and respond to any additional cases. The NCDC has urged Nigerians to practise regular hand hygiene, avoid direct contact with the blood and body fluids of suspected cases, and cooperate with contact-tracing teams.
The agency also advised anyone who may have been exposed to the virus to report promptly to public health authorities. Members of the public can contact the NCDC through its toll-free line, 6232, for guidance and information.
