The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Nigeria cannot yet be declared Ebola-free, despite the evacuation of the country’s index patient and her husband to Switzerland, as the Federal Government targets December 7, 2026, for a possible end to the outbreak.
The global health agency cautioned against reports suggesting that Nigeria had overcome the outbreak, stressing that having no confirmed Ebola case currently within the country does not amount to an official declaration that the outbreak is over.
The warning came as 52 people remained under surveillance in Nigeria, with four states stepping up emergency preparedness and health authorities maintaining heightened vigilance to prevent further infections.
In a clarification posted on its official X account on Monday, WHO described claims that Nigeria had been declared Ebola-free as inaccurate and misleading.
The organisation explained that Nigeria must satisfy the prescribed outbreak-closure criteria before it can officially be declared free of the current outbreak.
Under WHO guidelines, the country must complete a 42-day countdown without any new confirmed or probable infection. The period begins after the last confirmed patient tests negative twice for the virus or, in Nigeria’s case, following the evacuation of the infected patient.
The 42-day period represents twice Ebola’s maximum incubation period of 21 days. Surveillance and other preventive measures must continue even after the outbreak is officially declared over.
WHO’s clarification followed an earlier statement by its Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, that Nigeria currently had no Ebola cases following the evacuation of the infected woman and her husband.
Janabi, however, emphasised that the absence of confirmed cases did not remove the need for continued vigilance.
He said Nigerian authorities would continue monitoring 52 contacts, while Switzerland would take responsibility for the evacuated patient and her husband, the 53rd identified contact.
The clarification became necessary after some media reports interpreted the regional director’s remarks as an official declaration that Nigeria had defeated the outbreak.
FG SETS SIGHTS ON DECEMBER 7
Providing the government’s timeline, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said Nigeria could move towards declaring the outbreak over as early as December 7, provided no further confirmed or probable cases emerged.
He said the projection remained subject to validation by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and WHO.
Pate warned that any fresh confirmed or probable infection would trigger a new countdown, potentially delaying the declaration.
He said the government’s immediate priorities included monitoring identified contacts, investigating suspected infections promptly and strengthening preparedness across health facilities.
The minister added that response teams were working with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, state health authorities and development partners to prevent community transmission.
PATIENT STABILISED BEFORE EVACUATION
The 42-year-old index patient, a Swiss citizen, was evacuated from Abuja on Monday morning after Nigerian medical personnel managed the acute phase of her illness and stabilised her condition.
According to Pate, the woman was conscious, clinically stable and able to communicate before leaving Nigeria, with laboratory indicators showing significant improvement.
He, however, warned that her improved condition did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious.
The minister said strict medical protocols remained in place despite the patient’s progress.
Her husband, who accompanied her on the medical evacuation flight, had remained without symptoms and tested negative for the virus.
52 CONTACTS STILL UNDER WATCH
The NCDC had identified 53 contacts linked to the index patient, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and her husband.
With Switzerland taking responsibility for monitoring the husband, Nigerian health authorities will continue surveillance of the remaining 52 contacts for 21 days from their last possible exposure.
No secondary infection had been confirmed among the identified contacts as of the latest update.
A suspected Ebola case reported in Rivers State on October 23 also returned a negative laboratory result.
Meanwhile, African and European medicines regulators are working to accelerate vaccine development against the Bundibugyo virus, the Ebola species responsible for the current outbreak.
The virus has been linked to deadly outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Ebola epidemics have claimed thousands of lives over the years.
For Nigeria, health authorities say the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the country can meet the conditions for declaring the outbreak over on December 7.
