The World Health Organization, WHO, says Nigeria’s index Ebola patient was evacuated to Switzerland because she is a Swiss citizen and her condition had stabilised.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Monday.
Janabi said the patient was clinically stable after being successfully managed by Nigerian healthcare workers through the acute phase of the illness.
He said the patient and her husband, who is also a Swiss citizen, were evacuated to Switzerland early Monday aboard a medical evacuation aircraft.
The airlift took place at about 6:00 a.m. from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
According to him, Switzerland will now assume responsibility for the patient’s continued medical management and the monitoring of her husband, who is listed as contact number 53.
Nigeria, meanwhile, will continue to monitor the remaining 52 contacts linked to the confirmed case.
Janabi said with the evacuation, Nigeria currently has no active Ebola case in-country.
“Earlier this morning, the Ebola patient in Nigeria and her contact, who is also her husband, were medically evacuated to Switzerland,” he said.
“The reasons for the evacuation are: Both the patient and her husband are Swiss citizens. The patient is clinically stable. The Nigerian medical team successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilized her condition.”
The WHO official commended the Nigerian government, health workers, clinicians, emergency responders and partners involved in the response, describing it as a demonstration of African expertise, resilience and leadership in public health.
He, however, said vigilance must be sustained as Nigeria continues contact tracing and surveillance to prevent further transmission.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, had earlier said the patient’s improvement did not mean she was no longer infectious, stressing that strict public health protocols remain in place.
Pate said further updates would be provided after the patient and her husband arrive safely at their destination.
