ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria could declare its Ebola outbreak over as early as 7 December if no further confirmed or probable cases are detected and the required monitoring period is completed, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has said.
Pate announced the provisional date in a statement shared on his official X account on Monday, following the medical evacuation of Nigeria’s imported Ebola patient to Switzerland.
He said the date would depend on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) validating the required 42-day countdown. “Any further case would require a fresh countdown in accordance with those criteria,” Pate said.
The minister said the immediate priorities were to continue monitoring identified contacts, investigate alerts promptly and strengthen preparedness across health facilities.
Response teams, working with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, state health authorities and partners, would continue efforts to contain the disease and prevent community transmission, he added. Pate urged Nigerians to remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow updates from the NCDC and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The minister confirmed that the patient and her husband had been medically evacuated to Switzerland. The patient, Nigeria’s only confirmed Ebola case in the outbreak described by the authorities, had been receiving treatment in isolation in Abuja after testing positive for Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola.
The WHO subsequently said Nigeria had no active Ebola cases following the evacuation. WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi said the patient was clinically stable and that Switzerland would take responsibility for her continued medical management. The country would also oversee follow-up for her husband, who had been identified as a contact.
Join the conversation