Nigeria temporarily free of Ebola

Nigeria is temporarily free of Ebola patients following the evacuation of the country’s only confirmed case to Switzerland for further medical care.

According to the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Ali Pate, the patient departed Abuja with his approval, accompanied by her spouse, who has remained asymptomatic.

In a post via X, Pate said the patient’s clinical condition had improved significantly before the evacuation, adding that she was stable, conscious and able to communicate, while her laboratory test results were approaching baseline levels.

However, the minister cautioned that the improvement did not necessarily mean the patient was no longer infectious, stressing that strict public health protocols remained in place.

“The index patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards baseline. This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” he said.

The minister commended the clinical personnel who treated the patient and public health officials who coordinated the evacuation in accordance with established public health measures.

He said the government would provide further updates after the patient and her spouse had arrived safely at their destination.

Pate assured Nigerians that public health measures were continuing to contain the imported virus, urging citizens to remain vigilant and obtain information from credible sources.

“All public health measures are continuing to ensure successful containment of the imported virus. I urge Nigerians to remain vigilant and rely on information from credible sources,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said it was monitoring 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed case as investigations expanded to identify people who might have been exposed to the patient at different locations.

The Director-General of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday during a press briefing, explaining that 44 of the contacts were associated with the health facility where the patient was treated, while nine others had been identified outside the facility.

Idris said the nine additional contacts included three members of the patient’s household and individuals who attended to her at an emergency room she visited before arriving at the facility where her Ebola infection was subsequently confirmed.

He said the agency was extending its contact-tracing exercise beyond people who had direct contact with the patient to identify others who might have been exposed through the initial group of contacts.

“As of now, we have 53 primary contacts. Of these, 44 are people from that health facility where the patient was treated,” he said.

The evacuation comes as health authorities continue efforts to contain the imported infection and monitor those identified through contact tracing.

Although the patient’s condition had improved before her departure, Pate warned that she might still be infectious, underscoring the need to maintain strict public health protocols.