The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the infected patient and her husband to Switzerland, although public health authorities will continue monitoring 52 other contacts linked to the case.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this on Monday, October 26, 2026, after the Nigerian government confirmed that the 42-year-old woman and her husband had departed Abuja for Switzerland aboard a medical evacuation aircraft.
“With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases,” Janabi stated, while stressing that continued vigilance remained essential to prevent further transmission.
Janabi explained that both the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens and that the woman’s condition had stabilised following treatment by Nigerian medical personnel.
“The Nigerian medical team successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilised her condition,” the WHO official said, commending the health workers and emergency responders involved in managing the case.
Under the arrangement, Switzerland will assume responsibility for the patient’s continued medical care and monitor her husband, who has remained asymptomatic.
Nigeria, meanwhile, will continue the close follow-up of 52 other contacts identified during the investigation.
Earlier on Monday, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed that the patient had been evacuated after showing significant clinical improvement.
Pate said the patient was stable, conscious and able to communicate, with her laboratory results approaching baseline levels. He cautioned, however, that the improvement did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious.
“This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” the minister said, adding that the evacuation was conducted under appropriate public health safeguards.
The patient’s evacuation follows Nigeria’s confirmation of its first imported Ebola virus disease case in more than a decade.
The woman, who had travelled from Uganda through Addis Ababa, arrived in Abuja on October 3 and subsequently developed symptoms.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) confirmed the infection on October 20 after laboratory testing identified the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus.
The circumstances surrounding how she contracted the infection had not been conclusively established in the latest available reports.
The NCDC had identified 53 contacts associated with the case, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s husband.
With the husband now under Swiss monitoring, Nigerian authorities will continue following the remaining 52 contacts to detect any possible symptoms and prevent further transmission.
Janabi congratulated the Nigerian government, healthcare professionals, clinicians and emergency response teams for their handling of the case, describing their efforts as evidence of the value of coordinated public health action.
“On behalf of WHO and all partners, I warmly congratulate the Government of Nigeria, health workers, clinicians, emergency responders and all those involved in the response,” he said.
Despite the latest development, health authorities have emphasised that the end of active cases within Nigeria does not mean surveillance and other containment measures should stop.
The evacuation and transfer of care to Switzerland mark a significant development in Nigeria’s response to the imported infection.
Authorities continue to rely on contact tracing, surveillance and timely reporting to guard against any further cases.
