Ebola Patient Evacuated to Switzerland as Nigeria Maintains Surveillance
Nigeria’s only confirmed Ebola patient was medically evacuated to Switzerland on Monday, 26 October
2026, while health authorities in the country continued contact tracing and surveillance.
The patient, a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman who is the wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, is
Nigeria’s first Ebola case in more than a decade.
She tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus on 20 October after returning from a trip to
Uganda on 3 October.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate confirmed that the patient left
Abuja early on Monday morning on a medical evacuation flight.
He said her condition had improved significantly.
“She is stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards
baseline,” Pate stated.
He added that this did not mean she was no longer infectious and that strict public health protocols
remained in place.
Her husband, who has remained asymptomatic, travelled on the same flight. The World Health
Organization’s Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said both are Swiss citizens.
He noted that Nigerian medical teams had successfully managed the patient through the acute phase of
the illness and stabilised her.
Following the evacuation, Janabi said Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases. Switzerland has assumed
responsibility for the patient’s continued treatment and the monitoring of her husband (listed as contact
number 53), while Nigeria continues to follow up on 52 other contacts.
Swiss authorities confirmed the patient was admitted to Geneva University Hospital for treatment, while
her husband was placed in isolation at the University Hospital Zurich.
The Swiss government stated the situation posed no risk to public health in Switzerland.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified 53 primary contacts, mostly
healthcare workers, family members and household staff.
Authorities have strengthened surveillance at major international airports and expanded health
declaration requirements for arrivals.
The current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been reported in four
African countries, marking its widest geographic spread to date.
By Oyinkansola Shittu.
