Ebola: Nigerian Patient Arrives in Switzerland for Treatment as FG Maintains Surveillance
Nigeria’s index patient for the imported Ebola virus disease has been evacuated to Switzerland for further treatment after showing significant clinical improvement, the Federal Government has said.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Monday, confirming that the patient departed Abuja alongside her husband.
According to Pate, the patient was stable, conscious and able to communicate before the evacuation, while her laboratory results were approaching baseline levels.
He, however, cautioned that the improvement in her condition did not necessarily mean she was no longer infectious, stressing that strict public health measures remained necessary.
The patient’s husband, who was also evacuated, had remained without symptoms, the minister said.
Pate commended the medical personnel who managed the patient and the public health teams involved in coordinating the evacuation, noting that the process followed the required health protocols.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has sustained surveillance and contact-tracing activities to prevent further transmission of the virus.
The World Health Organisation’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, said Nigeria would continue monitoring 52 contacts linked to the case, while Switzerland would take responsibility for the patient’s continued treatment and follow-up of her husband.
Janabi said Nigerian medical teams had successfully managed the patient through the acute phase of the illness and stabilised her condition before the evacuation.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had earlier identified 53 contacts linked to the confirmed case, including healthcare workers, domestic staff and the patient’s husband.
Health authorities have urged Nigerians to remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow updates from official sources as efforts to contain the virus continue.
