RismadarVoice Reporters
October 26, 2026
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that Nigeria currently has no active Ebola patients within its borders following the medical evacuation of the country’s only confirmed patient and her husband to Switzerland.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi, announced the development on Monday, explaining that the evacuation followed improvements in the patient’s condition after treatment by Nigerian medical personnel.
Janabi said both the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens, adding that the transfer would enable the woman to continue receiving medical care in Switzerland.
The patient, a 42-year-old woman who returned to Nigeria from Uganda on October 3, tested positive for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus on October 20.
She had been receiving treatment at a medical facility in Abuja before her evacuation.
According to Janabi, Nigerian healthcare workers successfully managed the acute phase of her illness and stabilised her condition sufficiently for the international medical transfer.
The WHO official commended the Federal Government, clinicians, emergency responders and public health personnel involved in managing the case.
He described their efforts as a demonstration of Africa’s capacity to respond effectively to public health emergencies through coordinated action.
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, separately confirmed that the evacuation was carried out with his approval.
Pate said the patient was conscious, communicating and showing significant clinical improvement before leaving Abuja.
However, he cautioned that her improved condition did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious, explaining that strict infection-prevention protocols remained necessary.
The minister also confirmed that her husband, who accompanied her to Switzerland, had not developed symptoms of Ebola.
Meanwhile, Nigerian health authorities will continue monitoring 52 individuals identified as contacts of the confirmed patient.
Switzerland will assume responsibility for the woman’s continued treatment and the monitoring of her husband, who was identified as the 53rd contact.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had earlier identified 53 contacts, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and other individuals who might have been exposed to the patient.
These individuals require monitoring for 21 days following their last possible exposure.
Although Nigeria currently has no confirmed Ebola patient receiving treatment within the country, health authorities have not declared the outbreak response concluded.
The WHO has stressed that surveillance, contact tracing and other preventive measures must continue to detect possible infections and prevent further transmission.
The development marks progress in Nigeria’s response to the imported infection, while underscoring the importance of sustained public health vigilance.
