Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate has said that following the imported Ebola index patient’s medical evacuation from Nigeria today, 26 October, the country’s immediate priorities remain active monitoring of all identified contacts, prompt investigation of alerts and strengthened readiness across our health facilities.

He stated that if Nigeria could progress towards declaring this outbreak over under the WHO criteria, potentially as early as 7 December 2026. Nigeria could progress towards declaring this outbreak over under the WHO criteria, potentially as early as 7 December 2026.

In a post on his X handle, Pate noted that this date remains provisional, subject to NCDC and WHO validating the 42-day countdown adding that any further case would require a fresh countdown in accordance with those criteria.

He said, “Our teams, working with FCTA and state health authorities and our partners, remain focused on containment and preventing community transmission. I ask Nigerians to remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow regular updates from NCDC and the Federal Ministry of Health.

Following the evacuation of the index patient and her husband to Switzerland, Nigeria currently has no active case of Ebola virus.

Under the International Health Regulations, a country can only be declared Ebola‑free after a 42‑day countdown following the last confirmed case testing negative twice for the virus or, in this situation, after the evacuation of the confirmed case. This period is then followed by heightened surveillance.