Switzerland has confirmed arrival of evacuated Ebola patient – Health minister

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, says Swiss authorities have confirmed the arrival of the Ebola patient evacuated from Nigeria.

Pate disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Monday, saying the patient was receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospitals, while her spouse was in isolation at the University Hospital Zurich.

“The Swiss authorities have confirmed that the patient and her spouse arrived safely in Switzerland today,” the minister said.

He added that the evacuation was made possible through cooperation between Nigerian and Swiss authorities, with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Pate said Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider conveyed Switzerland’s appreciation for the care provided by Nigerian health professionals and the cooperation between the two countries.

“In our telephone conversation, Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider conveyed Switzerland’s appreciation for the care provided by Nigerian health professionals and the close cooperation between our authorities and WHO that made the evacuation possible,” he said.

The minister expressed appreciation to the clinical and public health teams in Nigeria and Switzerland, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Swiss health authorities and the WHO for their roles in facilitating the evacuation.

He, however, said public health measures remained ongoing in Nigeria to contain the disease.

“Here in Nigeria, contact monitoring, investigation of alerts and other containment measures continue,” he said.