The woman who tested positive for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria has recovered and been discharged from a hospital in Switzerland, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said.
The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja, saying the patient, who was medically evacuated to Switzerland on October 26, 2026, following treatment in Nigeria, subsequently tested negative for the virus after receiving further medical care.
Idris said laboratory tests conducted upon her arrival in Switzerland had initially confirmed that she was still positive for the virus, but she had since recovered, tested negative and been successfully discharged.
Nigeria confirmed the imported Ebola case on October 20, 2026, prompting the activation of a national emergency response, contact tracing and other containment measures to prevent further transmission.
Providing an update on the response, the NCDC boss said the 21-day monitoring period for all 62 contacts linked to the index case had been completed, with the last contact discharged on Friday.
He said none of the contacts developed the disease, indicating that no secondary transmission had been recorded from the index case.
According to him, 13 contacts reported fever or other non-specific symptoms during the monitoring period, but all tested negative for the virus.
The agency also investigated seven suspected Ebola alerts reported from Adamawa, Rivers, Borno, Lagos and Ekiti states in recent weeks, with all seven testing negative.
Idris, however, cautioned that the completion of contact monitoring did not automatically mean that Nigeria had been declared free of the outbreak, explaining that such a determination must be based on established public health criteria and World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols.
He said Nigeria would remain vigilant, particularly given the continued occurrence of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Reviewing the national response, Idris said the index case was detected following an alert raised by healthcare workers through the NCDC’s event-based surveillance system.
He explained that the alert enabled the agency, working with the FCT health authorities and other relevant institutions, to promptly investigate the case and activate the national emergency response.
He added that the National Emergency Operations Centre remained activated, with the incident management system operating at Level Three, the highest response level for Ebola Virus Disease.
The NCDC boss said surveillance, infection prevention and control measures, laboratory investigations and preparedness activities would continue nationwide to guard against possible importation of the virus.
He urged Nigerians to seek medical attention early whenever they become unwell, particularly if they have recently travelled or may have been exposed to an infectious disease.
He also advised travellers to disclose their travel history and possible exposure to healthcare workers, stressing that early reporting was essential for prompt detection and appropriate management.
With increased movement of people expected during the December festive season, Idris urged organisers of religious gatherings, political rallies, concerts, festivals and sporting events to make adequate arrangements for sanitation, safe drinking water and medical assistance.
Earlier, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, said the index case was detected following the vigilance of a private health facility, which promptly alerted the FCT epidemiological unit after suspecting a possible Ebola infection.
She said the patient’s travel history informed the decision to investigate the case and collect samples for laboratory testing.
Fasawe disclosed that members of the FCT rapid response team who had contact with the patient were placed in isolation for three weeks and had completed the period without developing the disease.
She commended the private hospital for its vigilance and urged other private health facilities in the FCT to maintain a high index of suspicion and promptly report suspected cases to the relevant public health authorities.