Nigeria’s first imported Ebola virus disease patient and her husband have been evacuated to Switzerland, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has confirmed.
Pate disclosed this on Monday, October 26, 2026, in a post on his X account, saying the patient had shown significant clinical improvement and was stable, conscious and able to communicate before the evacuation.
He said her laboratory test results were also approaching baseline levels, but cautioned that the improvement did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious.
The patient’s husband, who remained asymptomatic, was evacuated alongside her under strict public health protocols.
“I confirm that, with my approval, earlier this morning, the index case for Nigeria’s first imported Ebola virus disease departed Abuja for Switzerland,” Pate said.
He commended the clinical staff who treated the patient and public health personnel who coordinated the evacuation in line with established safety measures.
Pate added that the government would provide further updates after the patient and her husband arrived safely at their destination.
He also urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and rely on credible sources of information, assuring them that public health measures were continuing to contain the virus.
Ebola Contacts Rise to 53
The evacuation came as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported that 53 contacts linked to the confirmed case had been identified and were being monitored.
In its Ebola Disease Situation Report dated October 24, the agency said the contacts included healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s spouse.
The report also disclosed that Rivers State reported a newly suspected case on October 23, but laboratory results returned negative for Ebola.
The index case is a 42-year-old woman who returned from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3, 2026, on an international flight to Abuja.
According to the NCDC, she developed symptoms four days after arriving in Nigeria and visited a private health facility on October 10 before presenting at another facility the following day, where she was admitted.
The agency said it was notified of the case on October 19, prompting an investigation and sample collection. The NCDC National Reference Laboratory confirmed the infection on October 20.
Her symptoms included fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and a sore throat. No bleeding was reported.
NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NCDC, Federal Capital Territory health authorities and partners, was committed to containing the confirmed case.
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, Idris acknowledged public concern over the development but said the response was being handled with urgency.
“Ebola is a serious disease, and we are handling this situation with the urgency it deserves,” he said, adding that the country had established response plans, experienced personnel and public health systems to prevent further transmission.
Idris said the response was being coordinated through an Incident Management System and an Emergency Operations Centre under the leadership of the health minister and the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease.
He explained that public health teams were working to identify people who might have been exposed, assess their level of exposure and monitor them for 21 days after their last possible exposure.
Those being traced could include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers, household members, travel-related contacts and others who might have had relevant exposure.
The NCDC chief urged anyone contacted by public health officials to provide accurate information about their movements, contacts and any symptoms they might have experienced.
He stressed that being identified as a contact did not mean a person had Ebola, but meant their health needed to be assessed and monitored.
Idris commended healthcare workers whose vigilance and clinical judgement helped identify the case and trigger the public health response.
He said the government would prioritise the safety and welfare of healthcare workers throughout the response.
The NCDC director-general also called on public and private healthcare facilities to immediately review and strengthen their infection prevention and control measures.
He said facilities must consistently screen and triage patients, observe standard precautions, maintain proper hand hygiene, clean their environments and ensure safe injection, sharps and waste management.
Healthcare facilities were also urged to provide adequate personal protective equipment and ensure workers knew how to use it correctly.
Idris said suspected cases must be promptly separated from other patients and reported to the relevant public health authorities, stressing that healthcare workers should not wait for laboratory confirmation before taking appropriate precautions.
“Protecting healthcare workers is essential to protecting the communities they serve,” he said.
