Six days after Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case, the World Health Ogranisation (WHO) on Monday confirmed that Nigeria currently has no active Ebola case after the country evacuated its index patient to Switzerland.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said this in a post on X after Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, confirmed the patient’s evacuation from Abuja.
Janabi disclosed that the patients were evacuated because they are both Swiss citizens, noting that, the patient was clinically stable after Nigerian health workers managed the acute phase of the illness.
“The Ebola patient in Nigeria and her contact, who is also her husband, were medically evacuated to Switzerland,” Janabi said, adding that, “Switzerland will now take responsibility for the patient’s continued management. At the same time, the follow-up of her husband will be handled six days after Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade.
Similarly, according to Pate, the patient was “clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, with her laboratory test results moving towards baseline. She was no longer infectious, while her husband, who accompanied her, remained asymptomatic.”
The patient is the wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja. She arrived in Nigeria on 3 October after travelling from Uganda and developed symptoms a few days later.
Nigeria confirmed her infection on 20 October after laboratory testing detected the Bundibugyo virus.
Although the evacuation means Nigeria currently has no active Ebola cases, Mr Janabi said public health authorities would continue monitoring 52 contacts linked to the patient.
Her husband, who is listed as contact number 53, will be followed up by Swiss authorities.
“However, vigilance remains critical,” Mr Janabi said. “Nigeria will continue the close follow-up of 52 contacts, while Switzerland will assume responsibility for the continued management of the patient and the follow-up of contact number 53, her husband.”
The NCDC had identified 53 contacts as of 24 October, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s spouse.
Mr Janabi commended the Nigerian government, health workers, clinicians, emergency responders and other partners involved in the response, describing the successful management and evacuation as a demonstration of African public health capacity.
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