Nigeria’s Ebola index patient has been evacuated to Switzerland aboard an air ambulance from Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has confirmed.
In a statement published on his official X account on Monday, Pate said the evacuation took place earlier that morning with his approval.
He added that the patient’s spouse, who had remained asymptomatic, accompanied her on the flight.
The patient is report to be the Ugandan wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja.
Health Minister confirms Ebola patient’s evacuation
Pate said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating at the time of the evacuation, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels. However, he cautioned that her improved condition did not mean she was no longer infectious.
The minister said strict public health protocols were followed during the evacuation and thanked the clinical staff who treated the patient, as well as the public health personnel who coordinated the transfer.
“I confirm that, with my approval, earlier this morning, the index case for Nigeria’s first imported Ebola virus disease departed Abuja for Switzerland,” Pate wrote on X.
He said the patient was evacuated alongside her spouse, who had remained asymptomatic.
The minister stressed that the patient could still be infectious despite her improved clinical condition, explaining that strict protocols were maintained during the transfer.
Pate said further updates would be provided after the patient and her spouse arrived at their destination. His confirmation followed an earlier report by ARISE News, which said the patient had been transported from the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
How Nigeria detected Its first Ebola case
Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease on October 20, 2026, after laboratory tests detected the infection in a woman who had recently travelled from Uganda.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the case in Abuja, stating that the patient was receiving medical care in isolation as authorities began tracing people who might have been exposed to the virus.
According to the Federal Government, the woman developed symptoms on October 7, with her condition worsening four days later. She was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja, where she received treatment for several days before laboratory tests confirmed the infection.
Following confirmation, the Federal Ministry of Health, the FCT Health Secretariat, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners intensified efforts to contain the infection.
Authorities also strengthened surveillance at the country’s entry points and urged health facilities to identify and promptly report suspected cases.
NCDC tracks 53 Ebola contacts
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed on Sunday, October 25, that it had identified two additional suspected Ebola cases and 53 primary contacts as surveillance and investigations continued.
The agency clarified that the two suspected cases had not been confirmed by laboratory tests and should not be treated as confirmed infections.
Of the 53 primary contacts, 44 were linked to the health facility where the patient was treated, while the remaining nine comprised three household members, including the patient’s husband, driver and chef; three people who attended to her at Julius Berger Clinic before her transfer to another facility; and three members of the team that collected her samples.
The figure marked an increase from the 44 contacts initially identified when the Federal Government announced Nigeria’s imported Ebola case on October 20. The NCDC said contact tracing and monitoring were ongoing to identify possible exposure and reduce the risk of further transmission.
Meanwhile, Nigerian, Ugandan and international health authorities have been investigating the source of the infection. Genomic analysis showed that the virus detected in Nigeria was closely related to the strain identified in Kenya’s initial case, although Nigerian authorities said no direct epidemiological link between the two patients had been established.
Nigeria steps up Ebola surveillance
Nigeria’s Ebola case emerged amid a wider regional outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease, with infections reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Kenya, raising concerns about cross-border transmission.
Uganda has strengthened screening at Entebbe International Airport and land border crossings and imposed a 21-day quarantine on citizens returning from the DRC. However, authorities have maintained that the Nigerian patient’s travel history does not establish that she contracted the virus in Uganda.
In Nigeria, the Federal Government has said it is drawing on lessons from the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Health authorities have urged medical facilities to remain vigilant and advised Nigerians to practise good hygiene and seek guidance if they develop Ebola-like symptoms after travelling to affected areas.
