Ebola: Nigeria may declare outbreak over in December – Minister

Nigeria may declare the Ebola outbreak over as early as 7 December if no further confirmed or probable cases are detected, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, has said.

Mr Pate made this known in a statement shared on his official X handle on Monday, following the medical evacuation of Nigeria’s imported Ebola index patient to Switzerland earlier in the day.

He said the date remains provisional and 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,” Mr Pate said.

The minister said Nigeria’s immediate priorities are to continue monitoring all identified contacts, promptly investigate alerts, and strengthen preparedness across health facilities.

He said the response teams, working with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), state health authorities and partners, remain focused on containing the disease and preventing community transmission.

Mr Pate urged Nigerians to “remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow updates” from the NCDC and Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

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Patient evacuated

Earlier on Monday, Mr Pate confirmed the medical evacuation of the imported Ebola patient and her husband to Switzerland.

The patient, who is Nigeria’s only confirmed Ebola case, had been receiving treatment in isolation in Abuja after testing positive for Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola.

WHO subsequently said Nigeria has no active Ebola cases following the evacuation.

The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said the patient was clinically stable and that Switzerland would assume responsibility for her continued medical management and follow-up for her husband, a contact.

Nigeria confirmed the imported case on 20 October, after the patient arrived in the country following international travel through Uganda.