WHO Says Nigeria Not Yet Declared Ebola-Free
….Monitors 52 Contacts
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has clarified that Nigeria has not been officially declared Ebola-free, despite having no confirmed active case following the evacuation of the country’s index patient to Switzerland.
The clarification came on Monday, October 26, 2026, after reports emerged suggesting that Nigeria had been declared free of the deadly virus following the departure of the infected woman and her husband.
In a statement shared on its X account, WHO said health authorities were still monitoring 52 people who might have been exposed to the virus.
“WHO has not declared Nigeria Ebola-free. Nigeria currently has no confirmed case of Ebola following the medical evacuation of the index patient to Switzerland,” the organisation stated.
The organisation explained that the absence of confirmed active cases does not automatically mean a country has been declared Ebola-free.
According to WHO, Nigeria must complete a 42-day monitoring period following the last confirmed case testing negative twice for the virus, or, in the current situation, following the evacuation of the confirmed patient.
The period will be followed by heightened surveillance to identify any possible new infections.
WHO’s clarification followed the evacuation of Nigeria’s index patient, a 42-year-old Swiss woman diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, to Switzerland for further medical treatment.
The woman was airlifted from Abuja on Monday after Nigerian medical personnel reportedly stabilised her condition and managed her through the acute phase of the illness.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, commended the Nigerian government, health workers, clinicians and emergency responders for their handling of the case.
Janabi said Nigeria would continue monitoring 52 contacts, while Switzerland would take responsibility for the patient’s continued treatment and the monitoring of her husband, identified as contact number 53.
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, prompting intensified surveillance, contact tracing and other containment measures.
The WHO has urged continued vigilance as health authorities work to prevent further transmission and complete the required monitoring period before any declaration that Nigeria is Ebola-free.
