Nigeria Could Be Declared Ebola-Free By December—FG

By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government has said Nigeria could declare the Ebola outbreak over as early as December 7, 2026, if no further confirmed or probable cases are detected and the country meets the conditions stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Monday evening in a post on his X handle.

He, however, noted that the date would depend on the outcome of contact monitoring and validation of the required 42-day countdown by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the WHO.

“If no further confirmed or probable cases are detected, Nigeria could progress towards declaring this outbreak over under WHO criteria, potentially as early as 7 December 2026,” he wrote.

Professor Pate, however, stressed that the proposed date was provisional and could change if another case was detected.

“This date remains provisional, subject to @NCDCgov and WHO validating the 42-day countdown. Any further case would require a fresh countdown in accordance with those criteria,” he said.

The federal government confirmed the Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on October 20.

The patient, according to the WHO, recently travelled from Uganda, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention on October 11 before her infection was confirmed.

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), on Sunday, said it was monitoring 53 primary contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case.

Under the WHO’s criteria, an outbreak can be declared over after 42 consecutive days without a new confirmed case, provided the required conditions for ending transmission are met.

The minister said the government’s immediate priority was to monitor identified contacts and strengthen preparedness across health facilities to prevent further transmission.

The development follows the medical evacuation of a female Ebola patient and her husband to Switzerland on Monday.

The minister said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

In a statement on Monday, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said the patient was receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospital (HUG), while her husband, identified as a close contact, had been placed in isolation at Zurich University Hospital (USZ).

The Swiss authorities said the case posed no health risk to the country, adding that both hospitals were equipped to manage patients with infectious diseases such as Ebola while protecting healthcare workers and other patients.

They added that the facilities had specialised isolation wards and trained medical personnel to manage such infections.

“The current situation does not pose any risk to public health in Switzerland,” the FOPH said.

According to the statement, the FOPH said it was working closely with the university hospitals in Geneva and Zurich, as well as the relevant cantonal authorities, to manage the situation.

Ms Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Switzerland’s federal councillor, expressed appreciation to Nigeria’s Minister of Health during a telephone conversation.

She thanked the doctors and other healthcare professionals in Nigeria for caring for the two Swiss nationals before their evacuation.