Ebola: WHO Says Nigeria Has No Confirmed Cases After Patient’s Evacuation to Switzerland

 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the country’s first confirmed patient and her husband to Switzerland.

The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this on Monday, October 26, 2026, following the evacuation of the infected woman and her husband from Abuja. 

According to Janabi, both individuals are Swiss citizens, while the patient’s condition had improved significantly after Nigerian medical personnel treated her through the acute phase of the illness.

He commended the Federal Government, healthcare workers, clinicians, emergency responders and other partners involved in managing the case, describing their efforts as evidence of Africa’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies.

“With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases,” Janabi said.

However, the WHO regional director warned that the development should not lead to complacency, stressing that continued surveillance and contact tracing remain essential to preventing further transmission.

He disclosed that Nigerian health authorities would continue monitoring 52 contacts linked to the patient, while Switzerland would take responsibility for her continued treatment and monitor her husband, identified as contact number 53. 

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, had earlier confirmed that the patient departed Abuja for Switzerland with his approval.

Pate said the woman was stable, conscious and able to communicate, with her laboratory results approaching baseline levels. He, however, cautioned that her improved condition did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious, explaining that strict public health protocols remained in place.

The minister commended the medical personnel who treated the patient and the public health officials who coordinated the evacuation in accordance with established safety measures.

He also assured Nigerians that containment measures were continuing and urged the public to remain vigilant and rely on credible sources of information.

Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of Ebola virus disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus on October 20, 2026, after laboratory tests detected the infection in a woman who had recently travelled to Uganda.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention subsequently activated its emergency response mechanisms, while health authorities began contact tracing and strengthened infection prevention measures. 

Despite the patient’s evacuation, health authorities have maintained that continued monitoring and adherence to public health protocols are necessary to prevent further transmission.