Nigeria's Health Minister sets December 7 for Ebola status

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, announced that Nigeria could declare its imported Ebola outbreak over on December 7, 2026, provided no further confirmed or probable cases are recorded. This statement was made on October 26, 2026, following the medical evacuation of the imported index patient.

The proposed date is provisional and depends on the successful completion of a mandatory 42-day surveillance period. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) will validate the surveillance countdown.

If another confirmed case emerges, the 42-day countdown will reset. Pate emphasized the importance of continued public health surveillance, urging Nigerians to cooperate with contact-tracing teams and rely on verified health advisories.

The government is actively monitoring identified contacts and strengthening infection prevention measures across healthcare facilities. Nigeria activated its public health emergency response mechanisms after identifying an imported Ebola case from a traveler arriving from Uganda.