The World Health Organisation (WHO) has clarified that Nigeria has not been officially declared Ebola-free, despite having no confirmed active case in the country following the evacuation of its index patient to Switzerland.
The clarification came on Monday, October 26, 2026, after reports emerged suggesting that Nigeria had been declared free of the disease following the medical evacuation of the infected patient.
In a statement shared on X, WHO Nigeria said the country currently had no confirmed Ebola case following the evacuation but stressed that the outbreak could not yet be officially declared over.
The organisation disclosed that health authorities were continuing to monitor people who might have been exposed to the virus. Initial reports put the number of contacts under surveillance at 52.
According to WHO, under the International Health Regulations, the required 42-day countdown must be completed before an Ebola outbreak can be declared over. The period is followed by heightened surveillance to detect any possible new infections.
The index patient, a 42-year-old woman who tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, was flown from Abuja to Switzerland aboard an air ambulance on Monday for further medical treatment. Her husband, who had reportedly remained asymptomatic, accompanied her.
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the patient’s condition had improved significantly before the evacuation. However, he warned that her improved condition did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious.
Nigerian health authorities have maintained that surveillance, contact tracing and other containment measures will continue to prevent further transmission.
WHO has urged media organisations to correct reports suggesting that Nigeria has already been declared Ebola-free, emphasising that the absence of confirmed cases does not mean the outbreak has officially ended.