The Federal Government has evacuated Nigeria’s first imported Ebola virus disease patient to Switzerland, alongside her husband, as health authorities intensify efforts to contain the infection.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed the development on Monday, saying the patient had shown significant clinical improvement and was stable, conscious and able to communicate before departure from Abuja.
In a statement posted on his X account, Pate said the patient’s laboratory results were also approaching baseline levels, indicating improvement in her condition.
However, he cautioned that the improvement did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious, adding that strict public health protocols were observed throughout the evacuation process.
The minister said the patient’s husband accompanied her and remained asymptomatic.
Pate commended the clinical teams responsible for treating the patient and the public health personnel who coordinated the evacuation in line with established safety measures.
He added that the government would provide further updates after the pair arrived safely at their destination, assuring Nigerians that containment measures remained in place.
The minister also urged the public to remain vigilant and obtain information about the outbreak from credible sources.
The evacuation comes as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed that 53 contacts linked to the confirmed case had been identified and placed under follow-up.
According to the agency’s Ebola Disease Situation Report dated October 24, 2026, the contacts include healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s husband.
The NCDC also reported that Rivers State notified it of a suspected Ebola case on October 23, but laboratory tests returned negative.
Providing details of the confirmed case, the agency said the 42-year-old woman arrived in Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa on October 3, 2026.
She reportedly developed symptoms four days later and sought medical attention at private health facilities on October 10 and 11.
The NCDC said it was notified of the case on October 19, after which an investigation was conducted and samples were collected for testing.
The agency’s National Reference Laboratory confirmed the infection on October 20.
Symptoms recorded when the patient presented for treatment included fever, diarrhoea, general body aches and a sore throat. No bleeding was reported.
Meanwhile, the NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, has assured Nigerians that the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NCDC, Federal Capital Territory health authorities and development partners, is taking steps to contain the outbreak.
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, Idris acknowledged public concern over the confirmed case but said the response was being handled with urgency.
He said the country had established response plans, trained personnel and public health systems to prevent further transmission of the virus.
