The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Nigeria currently has no active Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the country’s index patient and her husband to Switzerland.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this on Monday, October 26, 2026, through a post on his X account.
According to Janabi, although the evacuation means Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases, health authorities must remain vigilant as efforts to prevent further transmission of the virus continue.
He explained that Nigeria would continue monitoring 52 people who had contact with the patient, while Switzerland would take responsibility for her further treatment and the monitoring of her husband, who is the 53rd contact.
The patient, a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman married to a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, was evacuated alongside her husband. Both are Swiss citizens, while the husband has remained without symptoms.
The evacuation reportedly took place early Monday aboard a medical evacuation aircraft that departed from the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Janabi said the patient was clinically stable and had received treatment from Nigerian medical teams during the acute phase of her illness. Her condition reportedly improved sufficiently to allow her transfer to Switzerland for continued medical care.
However, health authorities stressed that her improved condition did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious.
Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on October 20, 2026, after laboratory tests detected the virus in the woman, who had recently travelled to Uganda.
Following the confirmation, Nigerian health authorities began identifying and monitoring people who had been in contact with the patient. The number of contacts initially identified as 44 later increased to 53, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and her husband.
The contacts are being closely monitored to identify any signs of infection and prevent further spread of the disease.
In a separate statement on Monday, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed that the patient had departed Abuja for Switzerland with his approval.
Pate said her condition had improved considerably before the evacuation. He described her as stable, conscious and able to communicate, adding that her clinical and laboratory results were approaching baseline levels.
Nevertheless, the minister warned that the patient could still transmit the virus, making it necessary to maintain strict infection-prevention and public health measures throughout the evacuation process.
He commended Nigerian medical personnel for providing care to the patient and praised public health officials for ensuring that the transfer was conducted in line with the required safety protocols.
The minister also assured Nigerians that the government would continue implementing public health measures to contain the imported infection and prevent further transmission.
He urged citizens to remain vigilant and obtain information about the outbreak from credible sources.
Although the evacuation has left Nigeria without any currently identified Ebola cases, the monitoring of the 52 remaining contacts in the country will continue as part of efforts to ensure that the outbreak is fully contained.
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