Nigeria's Health Minister Targets December 7 for Ebola End

Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, stated that Nigeria could declare the Ebola outbreak over by December 7, 2026, if no new confirmed or probable cases emerge and the required 42-day countdown is validated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). This announcement followed the medical evacuation of Nigeria's imported Ebola index patient and her husband to Switzerland.

Since the index case was confirmed on October 20, 2026, Nigeria has recorded no additional Ebola cases, but surveillance and contact-tracing activities are ongoing, with 52 contacts still under monitoring. Pate emphasized that the December 7 date is provisional and warned that any new confirmed case would reset the countdown.

Health authorities are actively investigating alerts and strengthening preparedness across health facilities. The index case was a woman who traveled from Uganda and tested positive for Ebola on October 19, after initially suspecting malaria.