The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, has disclosed that the Swiss authorities have confirmed the safe arrival of Nigeria’s Ebola index patient and her spouse in Switzerland.
Pate, in an update on his X handle on Monday evening, noted that the patient is now receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospitals, while her husband has been placed in isolation at University Hospital Zurich.
According to him, contact monitoring, investigation of alerts and other containment measures were continuing in Nigeria.
“The Swiss authorities have confirmed that the patient and her spouse arrived safely in Switzerland today,” Pate stated.
The minister also disclosed that Switzerland had expressed appreciation for the medical care provided by Nigerian health professionals and the cooperation between both countries and the World Health Organisation that facilitated the evacuation.
“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.
Pate thanked the clinical and public health teams in Nigeria and Switzerland, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs and the WHO for their collaboration.
He also wished the patient a continued recovery, while assuring Nigerians that the government’s response to the imported infection remained active.
“Here in Nigeria, contact monitoring, investigation of alerts and other containment measures continue, with support from Africa CDC and WHO AFRO. We will provide regular updates through NCDC and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare,” the minister added.
Earlier on Monday, Pate confirmed that the evacuation had been carried out with his approval, explaining that the patient’s condition had improved considerably before she left Abuja.
“I confirm that, with my approval, earlier this morning, the index case for Nigeria’s first imported Ebola virus disease departed Abuja for Switzerland,” the minister said.
According to him, the patient was stable, conscious and communicating, while her laboratory results were approaching baseline levels.
“The index patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards baseline,” he added.
The minister cautioned, however, that the patient could still be infectious despite her improved clinical condition, explaining that strict public health protocols were followed during the evacuation.
“This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” he said.
The Federal Government confirmed Nigeria’s first imported Ebola virus disease case in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20, following the patient’s recent travel from Uganda.
The infection was identified as the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
Following the confirmation, Nigerian health authorities activated response measures, including contact tracing, surveillance and monitoring of people who might have been exposed.
The government initially reported that 44 contacts had been identified, while the WHO’s subsequent update put the number being monitored in Nigeria at 52, in addition to the patient’s husband.
Ebola is a severe viral disease transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal or external bleeding.
The incubation period can last up to 21 days, making continued monitoring of exposed individuals important even after the infected patient has been evacuated.
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