Nigeria has recorded no secondary Ebola infections following the completion of a 21-day monitoring period for 62 people exposed to the imported Bundibugyo virus case, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced.
The agency said on Friday, November 13, that the last person under observation had completed the monitoring period without testing positive, bringing the contact-tracing exercise to an end.
NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this while providing an update on the response to the case confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on October 20, 2026.
He said 13 contacts developed fever or other symptoms during the period, but laboratory investigations ruled out Ebola infection in all of them.
Seven additional suspected cases reported in Adamawa, Rivers, Borno, Lagos and Ekiti states also returned negative results.
Idris cautioned that the development did not amount to a declaration that Nigeria was Ebola-free, stressing that only the World Health Organisation could make such a determination under its established protocols.
“Interestingly too, for any country to declare Ebola-free, that would be done by the World Health Organisation based on its own protocols,” he said.
He explained that the index case was identified after healthcare workers raised an alert through the NCDC’s event-based surveillance system.
READ ALSO: Ebola: WHO Backs Two Experimental Vaccines As Death Toll Surges
Authorities subsequently activated the National Emergency Operations Centre and established an Incident Management System.
The response included contact tracing, infection prevention measures, healthcare worker training, distribution of protective equipment and public awareness campaigns.
The infected patient was treated in Nigeria before being evacuated to Switzerland on October 26. Idris said she remained positive when tested on arrival but later recovered, tested negative and was discharged.
He dismissed suggestions that the evacuation reflected doubts about Nigeria’s medical capacity.
“It is not a matter of trust issues. The hospital here managed the case properly and as best as it could do,” he said.
Although monitoring has ended, the NCDC’s emergency response remains at Level 3. Idris said all states and the FCT were included in the preparedness framework, with 10 states identified initially as high-risk because of their international airports and borders.
He urged residents and visitors to seek medical attention promptly when unwell, disclose travel histories and avoid assuming every fever was malaria. Event organisers were also advised to provide sanitation, safe water and medical support.
“There is no reason for panic. What is required is continued vigilance, early reporting and cooperation with public health authorities,” he said.