The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Nigeria has no active confirmed Ebola case following the evacuation of its only confirmed patient to Switzerland, although surveillance measures remain in place.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, announced this on Monday, October 26, after the 42-year-old woman and her husband, both Swiss citizens, left Abuja for further medical care and follow-up.
Janabi commended Nigerian health workers and emergency responders for stabilising the patient and managing the response. Nigeria will continue monitoring 52 contacts, while Swiss authorities will oversee the patient’s treatment and follow up her husband, the 53rd contact, who remained asymptomatic.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said he authorised the evacuation, conducted under strict public health protocols. He said the patient was stable, conscious and communicating before departure, with her laboratory results approaching baseline levels.
Pate cautioned that her improvement did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious.
Nigeria confirmed its first case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease in the current outbreak on October 20, 2026, after laboratory tests established the infection in a woman who had travelled from Uganda.
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She arrived in Nigeria on October 3 through Addis Ababa, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention in Abuja on October 10 and 11. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) received notification on October 19 and confirmed the infection the following day.
The NCDC’s October 24 situation report identified 53 contacts, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s husband. None had tested positive at the time. A suspected case investigated in Rivers State on October 23 also tested negative.
Investigations into the infection’s source are ongoing. On October 23, Pate said preliminary genomic analysis showed similarities between the Nigerian virus sample and one associated with an index case in Kenya, but stressed that this did not establish direct transmission.
The case recalls Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak, which began after an infected Liberian traveller arrived in Lagos on July 20. The outbreak resulted in 20 confirmed and probable cases and eight deaths. The WHO declared Nigeria free of Ebola transmission on October 20, 2014, after 42 days without a new case.
The current infection involves the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus, distinct from the Zaire species responsible for the 2014 outbreak. No approved vaccine or specific treatment is available for Bundibugyo virus disease, making early detection, supportive care and infection prevention essential.
Authorities have strengthened surveillance at entry points and health facilities. Despite the patient’s evacuation, monitoring the remaining contacts and establishing the source of infection remain key priorities.