Nigeria Records No Confirmed Ebola Cases After Patient’s Evacuation – WHO

Nigeria currently has no confirmed Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the country’s only confirmed patient to Switzerland, the World Health Organisation’s Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, has said.

Janabi disclosed this on Monday, explaining that the 42-year-old woman and her husband were flown out of Abuja aboard a medical evacuation aircraft.

According to him, both are Swiss citizens, while the woman’s condition had stabilised following treatment by Nigerian medical teams.

Janabi commended the health workers for successfully managing the patient through the acute phase of the illness before her evacuation.

However, he stressed that Nigeria’s response to the outbreak would continue, with health authorities monitoring 52 people who had contact with the patient.

Switzerland will oversee the woman’s continued treatment and monitor her husband, who has not developed symptoms.

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, also cautioned that the patient could remain infectious despite her improved condition, explaining that strict medical protocols were still necessary.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had identified 53 contacts as of October 24, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s husband.

The woman, who arrived in Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3, was confirmed to have Ebola on October 20 after developing symptoms and receiving treatment at private health facilities in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the NCDC said a suspected Ebola case in Rivers State had tested negative.

Health authorities continue to conduct surveillance and contact tracing to prevent further transmission of the virus.

The WHO praised Nigeria’s medical teams and public health workers for managing the case and coordinating the evacuation.