Nigeria is not yet out of the woods on Ebola despite the evacuation of the index patient, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned, as it intensifies surveillance and contact tracing.
The NCDC said 54 contacts have now been traced in connection with the confirmed Bundibugyo strain case. The index patient, a 42-year-old Swiss national, and her husband were evacuated to Switzerland aboard a medical plane on Monday.
Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this on Channels TV Politics Today, saying the latest contact is an Uber driver who drove the patient to an earlier hospital in Abuja before diagnosis.
“Yesterday was 54, right? One has left; the index case has left, so we had 53. Today, we got one more suspected case contact, who actually was the Uber driver who drove her before to the first hospital,” Idris said.
He said over 40 contacts are in quarantine facilities in Abuja, while six others are under home-based self-quarantine due to low risk. They are monitored morning and evening with temperature checks. Three symptomatic contacts retested negative.
“We are not out of the woods yet until we are sure that all the contacts have been followed up. Because the index case is out doesn’t mean that we don’t have an active positive case,” Idris warned.
December 7 Provisional End Date
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said Nigeria may declare the outbreak over by December 7, 2026, if no further confirmed or probable case is detected. The date remains provisional pending WHO validation of the 42-day countdown.
The patient departed Abuja Monday after significant clinical improvement – stable, conscious, communicating and lab results approaching baseline – but still testing positive twice before evacuation. Her husband tested negative.
Switzerland confirmed receipt: patient at Geneva University Hospital (HUG), husband in isolation at Zurich University Hospital (USZ). Swiss authorities said no health risk to country, thanked Nigerian doctors.
Why Evacuation Was Approved
Idris explained approval followed diplomatic request from Swiss Embassy, human rights and International Health Regulations considerations. Infection prevention and control guidelines were maintained from hospital to aircraft.
“There is no drug to deal with this virus,” he said, noting treatment is supportive while immune system fights infection. Ebola can cause fever, body aches, diarrhoea, bleeding, organ failure.
Academy Warns Against Relaxation
The Academy of Medical Sciences commended Nigerian health workers but warned evacuation does not reduce risk among 53 contacts, including health workers and domestic staff. Each must complete 21 days follow-up; WHO requires 42 days without new case before outbreak declared over.
The Academy noted about 13 days elapsed between symptom onset and testing, with patient visiting more than one private facility, exposing health workers and showing low index of suspicion for viral haemorrhagic fever.
It called for at least one high-level isolation centre in each of six geopolitical zones and warned against herbal mixtures for Ebola.
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