The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Nigeria must complete a 42-day monitoring period before it can be declared free of Ebola following the confirmation of a case in the country.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said the 53 identified contacts of the infected patient must undergo 21 days of monitoring, followed by another 21-day period in line with established protocols.
The clarification comes after WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said in a post on X on Monday that Nigeria currently had no active Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the infected patient and her husband to Switzerland.
Janabi said the patient was clinically stable after receiving treatment from Nigerian medical personnel, while Swiss authorities would take responsibility for her continued care and monitor her husband, who was identified as contact number 53.
“The Nigerian medical team successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilised her condition,” Janabi said.
He added, “With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases.”
Janabi, however, noted that Nigerian health authorities would continue monitoring the 52 contacts remaining in the country, while Swiss authorities would oversee the patient’s husband.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Ihekweazu explained that the absence of active cases did not mean Nigeria could immediately be declared Ebola-free.
He said health authorities needed to monitor all identified contacts for 21 days, followed by an additional 21-day period, bringing the total to 42 days before the country could be declared free of the disease.
“These are the standard protocols as defined by the World Health Organisation, where I work, and which we use in every country around the world that has a similar incident,” he said.
Ihekweazu also clarified that the patient’s medical evacuation to Switzerland was not prompted by any inability of Nigerian health facilities to manage the disease.
According to him, the evacuation was carried out at the request of the patient’s country of origin.
“This wasn’t a response to any deficit in the management capacities in Nigeria. This was at the request of the country of origin of the case,” he said.
The WHO official explained that every confirmed Ebola case required a coordinated response because the disease belongs to a group of infections known as viral haemorrhagic fevers, which demand urgent public health action.
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“For certain diseases, a group of diseases we call the viral haemorrhagic fevers, of which Ebola is one of them, we consider every single case an equivalent of an outbreak and requiring a coordinated response,” he said.
He added that the WHO had supported the Nigerian government in implementing the necessary response measures.
Commending the country’s handling of the case, Ihekweazu cited the speed of laboratory confirmation and genetic sequencing, as well as the medical management of the patient.
He said the response measures had been implemented largely in line with recommendations, expressing confidence in Nigeria’s efforts to contain the incident.
Addressing concerns about political rallies and other public gatherings, Ihekweazu said the WHO had not recommended additional restrictions, stressing that its guidance was based on technical assessments rather than political considerations.
“We haven’t advised any restrictions on further gatherings. Our advice is never political. It’s always technical. And we will continue to support the government in this response,” he said.
He emphasised that the immediate priority was to monitor every identified contact daily, identify any further transmission as early as possible and respond promptly if additional cases emerged.
“The key thing now is for every single contact that the patient had to be followed up every single day,” he said.
Ihekweazu urged Nigerians to trust the government and relevant health agencies, adding that the WHO would continue to provide technical support throughout the response.
He expressed confidence that the coordinated efforts would help bring the situation under control, urging that the incident be treated as a public health matter rather than politicised.