Nigeria's Health Minister announces potential Ebola-free status

Nigeria is on track to potentially declare the end of its imported Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease case on December 7, provided no additional cases arise and health authorities validate this timeline. Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, announced this on his official X handle following the medical evacuation of the index patient to Switzerland.

The proposed date is provisional and relies on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirming a 42-day countdown without new cases. The index patient, who was evacuated for further medical care, showed significant improvement and was stable, conscious, and communicative before leaving Abuja.

Pate emphasized that while the patient's condition improved, she remained infectious. The NCDC identified 53 contacts linked to the case, with none testing positive as of the report.

The first case was confirmed on October 20 after a woman with a travel history to Uganda tested positive.