Ebola: Nigeria not yet free, WHO insists as FG targets Dec 7

• 52 contacts under surveillance as medical academy demands intensified tracing

• Kebbi, Plateau, Yobe, Delta activate emergency measures

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja; Ola Muhammad, Birnin Kebbi; Jude Owuamanam, Jos, and agency reports

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Nigeria is not yet Ebola-free despite the evacuation of the country’s index patient and her husband to Switzerland, even as the Federal Government targets December 7, 2026, as the earliest possible date for declaring the outbreak over if no fresh infection is recorded.

The organisation, which demanded the retraction of misleading reports suggesting that Nigeria had been declared free of the disease, insisted that the absence of confirmed cases within the country did not mean that the outbreak had officially ended.

The warning came as 52 people remained under surveillance, four states intensified emergency preparedness, and African and European medicines regulators moved to accelerate vaccine development against the Bundibugyo virus responsible for an outbreak that has claimed thousands of lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a clarification posted on its official X account yesterday, WHO described reports claiming that Nigeria had been declared Ebola-free as inaccurate and misleading.

“WHO has not declared Nigeria Ebola-free. Nigeria currently has no confirmed case of Ebola following the medical evacuation of the index patient to Switzerland.”

The organisation explained that under the prescribed outbreak-closure criteria, a country must complete a 42-day countdown after the last confirmed patient tests negative twice for the virus or, as in Nigeria’s present circumstances, following the evacuation of the confirmed patient.

The period, representing twice the maximum 21-day incubation period of Ebola, must pass without further confirmed or probable infections before the outbreak can be declared over. Heightened surveillance must continue afterwards.

WHO’s clarification followed an earlier statement by its Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, that Nigeria currently had no Ebola cases after the departure of the infected woman and her husband.

“With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases.

“However, vigilance remains critical. Nigeria will continue the close follow-up of 52 contacts, while Switzerland will assume responsibility for the continued management of the patient and the follow-up of contact number 53, her husband,” Janabi said.

The clarification became necessary after some media platforms interpreted Janabi’s statement as an official declaration that Nigeria had overcome the outbreak.

Giving the Federal Government’s projection for ending the emergency, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said Nigeria could begin the process of declaring the outbreak over as early as December 7, subject to validation by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and WHO.

“If no further confirmed or probable cases are detected, Nigeria could progress towards declaring this outbreak over under WHO criteria, potentially as early as 7 December 2026.”

Pate warned that the emergence of another confirmed or probable case would require a fresh countdown, stressing that surveillance, contact tracing, prompt investigation of suspected infections and strengthened preparedness across health facilities remained the government’s immediate priorities.

“Following the imported Ebola index patient’s medical evacuation from Nigeria today, 26 October, our immediate priorities remain active monitoring of all identified contacts, prompt investigation of alerts and strengthened readiness across our health facilities.” The minister said response teams were working with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, state health authorities and development partners to prevent community transmission.

The 42-year-old index patient, a Swiss citizen, was medically evacuated from Abuja on Monday morning alongside her husband after Nigerian medical personnel successfully managed the acute phase of her illness and stabilised her condition.

Pate said the woman was conscious, clinically stable and communicating before her departure, with laboratory indicators showing significant improvement.

He, however, cautioned that clinical recovery did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious.

“This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” he said.

Her husband, who accompanied her aboard the medical evacuation aircraft, had remained asymptomatic and tested negative for the virus.

The NCDC had earlier identified 53 contacts, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s spouse. With Switzerland assuming responsibility for monitoring her husband, Nigerian health authorities will continue following up the remaining 52 contacts for 21 days from their last possible exposure.

No secondary infection had been confirmed among the identified contacts, while a suspected case reported in Rivers State on October 23 returned a negative laboratory result.

Meanwhile, the Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria has urged the NCDC to intensify contact tracing and complete the mandatory follow-up of all exposed persons, warning that the patient’s evacuation does not terminate the country’s public health responsibilities. In a statement signed by its President, Osato Giwa-Osagie, alongside other officials, the academy emphasised the need for sustained monitoring of healthcare workers, domestic staff and other persons who might have been exposed.

It noted that the medical evacuation was permissible under the International Health Regulations, provided established safety procedures were followed, but cautioned that the patient’s samples remained positive as of October 25.

The academy commended Nigerian clinicians, nurses, laboratory scientists and public health personnel for stabilising the patient before her evacuation and called for adequate protection of frontline workers, improved isolation facilities and transparent public communication.

According to the NCDC, the index patient arrived in Abuja on October 3 after travelling from Uganda through Addis Ababa, developed symptoms on October 7 and subsequently sought treatment at private health facilities.

The agency was notified on October 19, while laboratory confirmation of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus followed on October 20.

The patient’s symptoms included fever, diarrhoea, generalised body aches and sore throat, but no bleeding was reported. Further investigations into the source of her infection have revealed a possible connection with the outbreak in Kenya.

Pate disclosed that genomic analysis conducted by the NCDC and the Institute of Genomics and Global Health at Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, indicated that the virus detected in Nigeria was closely related to that identified in Kenya’s index patient.

He, however, stressed that the genetic similarity did not establish a direct transmission link or explain how the Nigerian patient became infected.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is also deploying a team of scientists, led by Congolese Ebola expert Jean-Jacques Muyembe, to investigate the possible source of the infection, including whether the Nigerian and Kenyan patients might have crossed paths while travelling through Uganda.

The investigation is expected to help determine whether the cases share a common source or transmission pathway, amid concerns about the possibility of undetected infections elsewhere in the region.

As federal authorities sustain surveillance, state governments have intensified measures to prevent further importation and possible community transmission.

In Kebbi State, the government has strengthened screening of travellers at Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi, and land border crossings in Bagudo, Kamba and Arewa.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Zaki Abubakar Zaki, said passengers were being screened at designated entry and exit points to facilitate the early identification and referral of suspected cases.

He said personal protective equipment had also been supplied to general hospitals to protect frontline health workers, while public health officials were coordinating surveillance and infection prevention activities.

In Plateau, the government has reactivated isolation centres, strengthened disease surveillance and intensified public awareness campaigns.

Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Ba’amlong, who announced the measures in Jos on Monday, said the state’s emergency preparedness team had been directed to assess safety arrangements at the airport and place local government areas bordering neighbouring states on heightened alert.

“We advise the people to maintain good hygiene, wash their hands regularly and avoid direct contact with the blood and body fluids of suspected infected persons,” he said.

He disclosed that the measures complemented resolutions of the 12th Plateau State Council on Health, including the establishment of a health trust fund, provision for public health emergencies and measures to address shortages of health workers.

Although Plateau had recorded no Ebola case, Ba’amlong said precautionary measures remained necessary.

Similarly, the Yobe State Government has activated its Public Health Emergency Incident Management System and placed its Emergency Operations Centre on high alert to coordinate surveillance and response across the state’s 17 local government areas. Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Mohammed Lawan Gana, represented at a briefing in Damaturu by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Hadiza Sabo, said the government had developed a comprehensive emergency preparedness and response plan.

He disclosed that isolation and treatment facilities had been identified across the state’s three senatorial zones, with arrangements to strengthen their capacity through medical supplies, protective equipment and training.

Disease surveillance officers have also been directed to investigate suspected infections promptly, while laboratory readiness is being strengthened through sample collection kits and collaboration with the NCDC.

The commissioner said cross-border surveillance had been intensified in cooperation with border authorities and transport unions, while public awareness campaigns were being conducted through broadcast media, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community communication channels.

“The state has no case of Ebola, but we are taking no chances,” Gana declared.

He urged residents to report symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and unexplained bleeding, while cautioning against misinformation and the stigmatisation of persons identified through contact tracing.

In Delta State, the government has reviewed its emergency response arrangements, disease surveillance systems and available resources to strengthen preparedness across its 25 local government areas.

Commissioner for Health, Joseph Onojaeme, said the state was intensifying monitoring at entry points, healthcare facilities and communities to ensure early detection and investigation of suspected infections.

He directed the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health to strengthen disease reporting and ensure that frontline health workers received regular training in case identification, infection prevention and emergency response.

The government, he said, would continue providing protective equipment, testing kits and other essential supplies while strengthening designated health facilities and public awareness campaigns.

The Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, has also strengthened its preparedness in collaboration with WHO and the state government, with health officials emphasising the importance of coordinated surveillance and readiness of isolation facilities.

Meanwhile, the growing international concern over the Bundibugyo outbreak has prompted the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to issue joint guidance for accelerating clinical trials of potential vaccines against the virus.

The agencies, following consultations with WHO, recommended that promising vaccine candidates move through clinical development without unnecessary delays, while maintaining rigorous scientific evaluation and adequate protection for trial participants.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of sustained transmission in the DRC, where WHO reported 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths across 66 health zones in eight provinces as of October 20, representing a case fatality ratio of 48.3 per cent.

Kenya had also recorded nine confirmed cases, including one death, as of the same date, with all eight secondary infections linked to its imported index case.

In their joint position paper published on October 23, the African and European regulators proposed that early-stage vaccine trials should preferably be conducted in Africa to facilitate larger studies involving affected populations.

They recommended the development of single-dose vaccines where feasible, given their potential advantages during emergency deployment, and proposed a Phase 3 platform trial using a ring-vaccination approach involving close contacts of confirmed cases.

Under the proposed arrangement, multiple vaccine candidates could be assessed within a common trial framework, potentially accelerating the generation of evidence on their effectiveness.

The regulators also recommended including children and pregnant women in clinical studies once sufficient preliminary safety information had been established among adults.

They explained that certain repeat-dose toxicity studies could be postponed or waived for vaccine candidates developed using sufficiently established technologies, including messenger RNA and some viral-vector platforms, where existing evidence justified such decisions.

However, the agencies insisted that regulatory flexibility must not compromise scientific standards or participant safety.

The development coincided with the commencement of the Tumaini Phase 2/3 vaccine trial in Bunia, DRC, where the first participant was vaccinated on October 23.

The trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of multiple vaccine candidates against Bundibugyo virus, including Ervebo, a vaccine already licensed against Ebola disease caused by the Zaire virus but whose protective effectiveness against Bundibugyo remains to be established.

No vaccine has yet been approved specifically against Bundibugyo virus disease.

The trial is expected to generate evidence that could guide future vaccine approvals and strengthen the international response to the outbreak.

For Nigeria, however, the immediate task remains the completion of contact monitoring, investigation of suspected infections and maintenance of effective surveillance at airports, land borders, healthcare facilities and communities.

Although the evacuation of the index patient has left the country without a confirmed Ebola case within its borders, WHO insists that only successful completion of the required outbreak-closure period and validation by the relevant health authorities can establish whether transmission has been interrupted.

Until then, the December 7 target remains conditional on Nigeria recording no further confirmed or probable cases.

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