Nigeria Transfers Ebola Index Patient to Switzerland

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

As part of containment measures, Nigeria has transferred the patient involved in its Ebola index case to a medical facility in Switzerland.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed this development on Monday morning via a post on his X handle.

According to him, the 42-year-old patient, who reportedly had a stopover in Uganda, was flown abroad alongside her spouse, who has remained asymptomatic.

She made Nigeria record its first imported Ebola virus disease case since 2014, when a traveller exposed to the virus in Liberia was rushed to a hospital in Lagos for treatment.

In the latest case, Mr Pate said the woman has shown improvement, but cautioned that this does not necessarily mean she is no longer infectious, stressing that strict public health protocols remain in place.

He praised the clinical teams for providing quality care and public health personnel for ensuring that the evacuation was conducted in line with established safety measures, promising to provide further updates when the patient and her spouse arrive safely at their destination.

The health minister urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and rely on credible sources of information, as the country continues efforts to contain the imported infection.