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.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has expanded its health declaration requirement for international travellers after confirming an Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The agency’s Director-General, Jide Idris, announced the decision during a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday.

Mr Idris said the requirement initially applied to international travellers but was later restricted to passengers arriving from selected countries linked to the Ebola outbreak, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

“But with this case, we have reversed that directive,” he said.

He said the NCDC had sent advisories to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and expected further instructions to guide implementation in collaboration with airlines.

Airport screening

Mr Idris said Nigeria’s preparedness measures had focused on five international airports: Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt.

He said Port Health Services was working with aviation personnel, immigration and customs officials to strengthen preparedness and screening at the country’s points of entry.

According to Mr Idris, the NCDC needs to coordinate with aviation authorities because it does not independently control airport operations.

He said agencies were working together to implement the required measures, while immigration and customs officials were involved at land borders.

Mr Idris also acknowledged operational challenges at Lagos airport, where ongoing construction had created difficulties. He said the NCDC would engage FAAN and the NCAA to address issues affecting Port Health Services’ work.

He added that access to restricted airport areas must follow established security procedures.

Ebola response

The revised screening measures form part of Nigeria’s response to a confirmed case of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the FCT on 20 October.

As PREMIUM TIMES reported, the patient is a 42-year-old Ugandan woman who travelled to Nigeria from Uganda on 3 October. She developed symptoms on 6 October and sought medical attention before her infection was confirmed.

At Sunday’s briefing, Mr Idris said health authorities had identified 53 primary contacts linked to the patient. These comprise 44 people associated with the health facility where she received treatment and nine additional contacts, including household members. They attended to her at another facility and were members of the FCT team that collected samples.

He said contact tracing was ongoing and that officials were monitoring the identified contacts.

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Health officials are following up with contacts for 21 days, the maximum incubation period for Ebola, to identify any symptoms that might indicate infection.

Mr Idris appealed to Nigerians identified as contacts to cooperate with public health officials, stressing that being identified as a contact does not mean a person has Ebola.

The NCDC is also strengthening infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, supporting laboratory capacity and providing public health information to counter rumours and misinformation.

The agency urged Nigerians to rely on verified information from authorised public health sources and cooperate with response measures as investigations continue.