Nigeria could declare its imported Ebola virus outbreak officially over as early as December 7, 2026, provided no further confirmed or probable cases are detected within the country, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate announced.
​Speaking in an official statement issued on Monday, October 26, 2026, from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare headquarters in Abuja, Prof. Pate confirmed that the imported index patient, a Ugandan national married to a Swiss diplomat, and her husband were medically evacuated to Switzerland earlier in the day.
Health authorities noted that at the time of her departure on Monday morning, the patient was responsive and displaying encouraging signs of clinical recovery.
​Under established international guidelines set by the World Health Organisation, a nation must complete a mandatory 42-day surveillance period, representing two full 21-day incubation cycles of the Ebola virus, without recording a single new confirmed or probable case before officially declaring an outbreak concluded.
​Addressing the nation, Prof. Pate emphasized that while the December 7 timeline serves as a target, it remains strictly provisional and dependent on rigorous, ongoing surveillance across the health sector.
He noted that following the index patient’s medical evacuation, the health ministry’s immediate priorities center on active contact tracing, swift investigation of all incoming alerts, and heightened readiness across clinical facilities nationwide.
He added that the December 7 target date requires formal validation from both the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, warning that any newly detected case would immediately reset the 42-day countdown.
​In a coordinated effort involving the Federal Capital Territory Administration, state health departments, and international technical partners, contact tracing teams led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention are currently monitoring 52 identified contacts.
To encourage full compliance with strict isolation protocols and cushion the financial impact on affected households, the Federal Government has introduced a weekly stipend of ₦100,000 for every individual undergoing mandatory quarantine.
​Prof. Pate reassured the public that active emergency response teams remain fully deployed to prevent any potential community transmission, urging citizens to remain calm and rely solely on verified information released through official channels, including the official social media handles of the NCDC and the Federal Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, specialized technical teams from the ministry and the NCDC continue to enforce active health monitoring, rapid alert responses, and enhanced clinical preparedness at primary entry points and medical facilities across the federation.
