Nigeria Has No Ebola Cases After Patient’s Evacuation, WHO Says

Nigeria currently has no confirmed Ebola cases following the 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 after the 42-year-old woman and her husband were flown out of Abuja aboard a medical evacuation aircraft.

“Earlier this morning, the Ebola patient in Nigeria and her contact, who is also her husband, were medically evacuated to Switzerland,” he said.

He explained that both were Swiss citizens and that the patient’s condition had stabilised after treatment by Nigerian medical teams.

“The Nigerian medical team successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilised her condition,” Janabi said.

However, the evacuation does not mean Nigeria’s public health response has ended.

Janabi said Nigeria would continue monitoring 52 people who had contact with the patient, while Switzerland would oversee her continued treatment and monitor her husband, who has shown no symptoms.

Earlier this morning, the Ebola patient in Nigeria and her contact, who is also her husband, were medically evacuated to Switzerland.

The reasons for the evacuation are:
✅ Both the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens.
✅ The patient is clinically stable. The Nigerian… https://t.co/uuPOO40BKP

— Prof. Mohamed Janabi (@ProfJanabi) October 26, 2026

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, also warned that the patient could remain infectious despite her improvement.

“This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” Pate said.

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

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

The NCDC also reported that a suspected Ebola case in Rivers State tested negative.

Health authorities continue surveillance and contact tracing to prevent further transmission.

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