By Zainab Bakare
The Federal Government says Nigeria could declare the Ebola outbreak over by December 7, 2026, if no new confirmed or probable cases emerge and the country meets the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) requirements.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Monday evening in a post on his X handle.
Pate said the proposed date depends on contact monitoring and confirmation of the required 42-day countdown by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the WHO.
He stressed that the date remains provisional and could change if another case is detected.
“Any further case would require a fresh countdown in accordance with those criteria,” the minister said.
The Federal Government confirmed Nigeria’s Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20.
According to the WHO, the patient had recently travelled from Uganda. She developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention on October 11 before her infection was confirmed.
The NCDC said on Sunday that it was monitoring 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed case.
Under WHO guidelines, an Ebola outbreak can be declared over after 42 consecutive days without a new confirmed case, provided the required conditions for ending transmission are met.
Pate said the government’s immediate priority was to monitor identified contacts and strengthen preparedness across health facilities to prevent further transmission.
Ebola Patient Evacuated to Switzerland
The minister’s update follows the medical evacuation of the female Ebola patient and her husband to Switzerland on Monday.
Pate said the patient’s condition had improved significantly. She was stable, conscious and communicating, while her laboratory results were approaching baseline levels.
In a statement on Monday, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health said the patient was receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospital, while her husband, identified as a close contact, had been isolated at Zurich University Hospital.
The Swiss authorities said the case posed no public health risk to the country, noting that both hospitals had specialised isolation wards and trained personnel to manage infectious diseases such as Ebola.
The office said it was working with the hospitals and relevant regional authorities to manage the situation.
Switzerland’s Federal Councillor, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, also thanked Nigeria’s Minister of Health and healthcare workers for caring for the two Swiss nationals before their evacuation.
