WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this on Monday in a statement posted on his official X handle, noting that the evacuation was completed earlier in the morning.
Janabi said the patient and her husband, both Swiss citizens, were transferred to Switzerland for continued medical care and follow-up. While Switzerland would assume responsibility for the patient’s treatment and monitoring of her husband, Nigerian health authorities would maintain surveillance of the remaining 52 contacts.
According to him, the patient was clinically stable following the efforts of Nigerian medical teams, who successfully managed the acute phase of her illness and stabilised her condition before the evacuation.
The WHO regional director congratulated the Federal Government, healthcare workers, clinicians, emergency responders and other partners involved in the response, describing the development as a remarkable achievement.
He said the case demonstrated Africa’s capacity to manage complex public health emergencies, highlighting the continent’s expertise, resilience and leadership when countries work together to contain infectious diseases.
However, Janabi emphasised that the evacuation did not mark the end of public health surveillance, stressing that continued vigilance, contact monitoring and other response measures remained essential.
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, had earlier confirmed the evacuation in a post on his official X handle, stating that he approved the transfer, which was carried out early on Monday.
Pate said the patient was accompanied by her husband, who remained asymptomatic at the time of the evacuation.
Providing an update on the patient’s condition, the minister said she was stable, conscious and able to communicate, while her laboratory test results were approaching baseline levels.
“The index patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards baseline.
“This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” he said.
The minister commended the clinical team for providing quality medical care and praised public health personnel for ensuring that the evacuation complied with the required public health protocols.
He added that the government would provide further updates after the patient and her husband arrived safely at their destination.
Pate also reassured Nigerians that measures remained in place to contain the imported infection, urging the public to remain vigilant and rely on credible sources of information rather than unverified reports.
How the Ebola Case Was Detected
Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease on October 20, following laboratory confirmation of the infection in a woman with a recent travel history to Uganda.
According to the WHO, the patient developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and sought medical attention in Abuja on October 11.
Following confirmation of the infection, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) activated its incident management system and initiated contact tracing, laboratory investigations and infection prevention and control measures.
The NCDC’s situation report issued on October 24 identified 53 contacts linked to the case. They included healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s husband. None had tested positive at the time of the report.
On October 23, Pate disclosed that genomic analysis indicated that the virus isolated from the Nigerian patient was closely related to the virus identified in the index case in Kenya.
He cautioned, however, that the genetic relationship did not establish a direct transmission link between the two cases.
The Federal Government has since intensified surveillance at points of entry, strengthened infection prevention and control measures in health facilities, and urged healthcare workers to promptly report suspected cases.
Authorities Urge Continued Vigilance
Bundibugyo virus disease is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a member of the Ebola virus group. Transmission can occur through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, as well as contaminated materials.
Health authorities have urged Nigerians to observe basic preventive measures, cooperate with public health officials and avoid spreading unverified information about the disease.
Despite the patient’s evacuation and the absence of active cases reported in Nigeria, officials have stressed that continued monitoring of contacts and strict adherence to public health protocols remain necessary to prevent further transmission.