October 26, 2026
By Stephen Iwuh | Dalena Reporters
Nigeria currently has no confirmed Ebola cases after the country’s index patient and her husband were medically evacuated to Switzerland, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi, announced the development on Monday after the couple left Nigeria for further medical care and monitoring. The patient, who was diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease, had been receiving treatment in Nigeria after becoming the country’s first confirmed Ebola case in more than a decade.
Janabi said the patient’s condition had stabilised following treatment by Nigerian medical personnel, who successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness before she was transferred to Switzerland.
“The patient is clinically stable,” Janabi said, while congratulating the Nigerian government, healthcare workers, clinicians, emergency responders and other partners involved in the response. He described the successful management of the patient as evidence of Africa’s capacity to respond effectively to major public-health emergencies.
The patient and her husband are both Swiss citizens. The husband, who has remained asymptomatic, was classified as a close contact and was evacuated alongside her. Following their departure, WHO said Nigeria no longer has a confirmed Ebola case within the country, although health authorities are continuing intensive surveillance.
“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,” Janabi said.
The Nigerian government had earlier confirmed that the patient was clinically improved, stable, conscious and communicating before the evacuation. However, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Muhammad Ali Pate stressed that improvement in her condition did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious, which is why strict public-health protocols remained in place during the transfer.
The woman, who is 42 years old, travelled to Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa and arrived in Abuja on October 3. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), her symptoms began on October 7, and she was admitted to a private health facility on October 11. Health authorities were notified on October 19, and laboratory testing confirmed Ebola virus disease on October 20.
The NCDC identified 53 contacts linked to the case, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s spouse. One suspected Ebola case subsequently reported in Rivers State tested negative, according to the agency’s October 24 situation report.
The patient is now receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland, while her husband has been placed in isolation at University Hospital Zurich as a precaution. Swiss authorities said the two hospitals are equipped to safely manage serious infectious diseases such as Ebola and that the situation poses no risk to the wider Swiss population.
Despite the removal of the confirmed patient from Nigeria, health officials have warned that the response is not over. Nigerian authorities will continue monitoring the 52 remaining contacts, investigating alerts and maintaining preparedness in health facilities to detect and respond rapidly to any additional infections.
Pate has also said Nigeria could potentially declare the Ebola outbreak over as early as December 7 if no further confirmed or probable cases are detected. However, that date remains provisional and would depend on the NCDC and WHO validating the required 42-day countdown. Any new case would restart the countdown.
The WHO has therefore urged continued vigilance even as Nigeria reaches an important milestone in its response. The evacuation of the index patient means the country currently has no known Ebola cases, but health authorities remain focused on contact tracing, surveillance and preventing community transmission.
The development also highlights the importance of Nigeria’s rapid public-health response following confirmation of the imported infection. WHO praised the Nigerian medical teams for stabilising the patient and coordinating the evacuation, while officials continue to investigate how and where she contracted the virus.