WHO confirms no active Ebola case in Nigeria’s after index patient is evacuated to Switzerland

Nigeria’s index Ebola patient has been successfully evacuated to Switzerland aboard a specialized medical aircraft, leaving the country with zero active cases while national health authorities maintain strict surveillance and contact tracing.

The 42-year-old patient, who tested positive for the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was transported under diplomatic and medical escort in an ambulance convoy from the central capital to the private aviation wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at approximately 6:00 a.m. on Monday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the patient, the wife of a Swiss diplomat, was cleared for travel after local medical teams steered her through the acute phase of the infection.

Why the patient was evacuated

Addressing public questions surrounding the high-profile transfer, Mohamed Janabi, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, explained that the decision was driven by the patient’s citizenship and her stable clinical recovery.

“The reasons for the evacuation are: Both the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens,” Janabi stated via social media. “The patient is clinically stable. The Nigerian medical team successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilized her condition.”

Janabi added that Swiss authorities will assume responsibility for her continued medical management and the ongoing monitoring of her husband, who was classified as contact number 53.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, praised the swift and professional response of Nigerian doctors and emergency health responders, noting that local clinical expertise successfully weathered the crisis’s critical window. However, Pate emphasized that clinical improvement did not negate safety protocols.

“The successful management of the patient by our frontline health workers demonstrates African expertise, resilience, and leadership in public health,” Pate noted. “However, stabilization does not mean complete absence of risk, which is why rigorous public health protocols and contact tracing remain active across the country.”

Contact tracing and ongoing vigilance

With the index patient now out of the country, federal and state epidemiological teams are focusing heavily on containment and monitoring.

Health officials confirmed that 53 primary and secondary contacts linked to the confirmed case have been identified. While the patient’s husband was evacuated alongside her to Switzerland, 52 remaining contacts are under active daily observation by Nigerian health workers to ensure no secondary transmission occurs.

Public health agencies have urged citizens to remain calm, practice high standards of personal hygiene, and report any sudden symptoms associated with viral hemorrhagic fevers to designated health facilities.

The WHO has commended Nigeria’s robust response infrastructure, pointing to lessons learned from past public health emergencies as vital to preventing community spread and containing the threat at its earliest stage.