Evacuated ebola patient arrive Switzerland, says Pate

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has said the Swiss authorities have confirmed that Nigeria’s evacuated Bundibugyo Ebola patient is receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospital.

Pate said this in a post on his X handle on Monday night, adding that the patient’s husband was being isolated at University Hospital Zurich

This followed the medical evacuation of the couple from Nigeria to Switzerland.

He said the Swiss authorities had confirmed their safe arrival.

According to Pate, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health said the hospitals were equipped to manage the cases while protecting healthcare workers and other patients.

The Swiss authorities also said the situation posed no risk to public health in Switzerland.

Pate said that in a telephone conversation, Swiss Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider expressed appreciation for the care provided to the two Swiss nationals by Nigerian health professionals.

He said she also acknowledged the close cooperation between Nigerian and Swiss authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO), which facilitated the evacuation.

“I thank the clinical and public-health teams in Nigeria and Switzerland, @NCDCgov, @BAG_OFSP_UFSP, @EDI_DFI and @WHONigeria for their cooperation, and wish the patient continued recovery,” Pate said.

He added that contact monitoring, investigation of alerts and other containment measures were continuing in Nigeria, with support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and WHO Africa.

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health said the couple, both Swiss citizens, arrived in Switzerland on Monday on a medical evacuation flight from Nigeria.

It said the Geneva and Zurich university hospitals had been equipped since 2019 as reference centres for treating patients with diseases such as Ebola, with isolation wards and trained medical personnel.

The office said it was liaising with the hospitals and relevant cantonal authorities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease on Oct. 20, involving a woman who had recently travelled from Uganda.

On Monday, Pate announced that the patient had been evacuated to Switzerland after her clinical condition improved.

(NAN)