Nigeria Could End Ebola Outbreak by December 7, Minister

Nigeria might announce the end of the Ebola outbreak by 7 December if no new confirmed or probable cases show up. This information came from the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, in a statement on his official X page on Monday. This announcement follows the medical evacuation of Nigeria's first Ebola patient to Switzerland earlier that day.

Mr Pate mentioned that this date is not final. It will depend on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirming the necessary 42-day countdown without any new cases.

He stated, “Any further case would require a fresh countdown in accordance with those criteria.” This means if any new cases appear, the clock resets.

The minister stressed that Nigeria's top priorities now are to keep monitoring all identified contacts, quickly investigate any alerts, and improve readiness in health facilities. He added that response teams, in partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and state health authorities, are committed to controlling the disease and stopping it from spreading in the community.

Mr Pate urged Nigerians to “remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow updates” from the NCDC and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Pate confirmed that the imported Ebola patient and her husband were medically evacuated to Switzerland. The patient is Nigeria’s only confirmed Ebola case. She had been receiving treatment in isolation in Abuja after testing positive for Bundibugyo virus disease, which is a type of Ebola.

The WHO later confirmed that Nigeria has no active Ebola cases after the evacuation. Mohamed Janabi, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, mentioned that the patient was clinically stable. Switzerland will take over her medical care and will also look after her husband, who was in contact with her.

Nigeria confirmed the imported Ebola case on 20 October. The patient arrived in the country after traveling internationally through Uganda.