*Ebola May Force 2027 Elections Postponement, Says NCDC
*Patient Receiving Treatment In Switzerland After Evacuation From Nigeria On Monday
THE Federal Government has stated that Nigeria could be declared Ebola-free by December 7, this year, if no new case is recorded, following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) criteria, under which an outbreak can be declared over after 42 consecutive days without a new confirmed case, provided the required conditions for ending transmission are met.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, who disclosed this on Monday evening, October 26, in a post on his X handle, stated, however, that the date would depend on the outcome of contact monitoring and validation of the required 42-day countdown by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and WHO.
According to Pate: “If no further confirmed or probable cases are detected, Nigeria could progress towards declaring this outbreak over under WHO criteria, potentially as early as 7 December 2026.”
He stressed that the proposed date was provisional and could change if another case was detected, adding: “This date remains provisional, subject to @NCDCgov and WHO validating the 42-day countdown.
“Any further case would require a fresh countdown in accordance with those criteria”
The Federal Government confirmed the Ebola case in the FCT on October 20.
The patient, according to WHO, recently travelled from Uganda, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention on October 11 before her infection was confirmed.
The NCDC, on Sunday, said it is monitoring 53 primary contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case.
The minister said government’s immediate priority was to monitor identified contacts and strengthen preparedness across health facilities to prevent further transmission, following Monday’s medical evacuation of the female Ebola patient and her husband to Switzerland, where she is receiving further treatment.
The minister said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), in a statement on Monday, said the patient was receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospital (HUG), while her husband, identified as a close contact, had been placed in isolation at Zurich University Hospital (USZ).
The Swiss authorities added that the case posed no health risk to the country, and both hospitals were equipped to manage patients with infectious diseases, including Ebola, while protecting healthcare workers and other patients.
The statement said the facilities have specialised isolation wards and trained medical personnel to manage such infections, adding: “The current situation does not pose any risk to public health in Switzerland.”
It further stated that the FOPH was working closely with the university hospitals in Geneva and Zurich, as well as the relevant cantonal authorities, to manage the situation.
Switzerland’s federal councillor, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, expressed appreciation to Pate during a telephone conversation, thanking the doctors and other healthcare professionals in Nigeria for caring for the two Swiss nationals before their evacuation.
Speaking on a television programme on Monday, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Jide Idris, said government approved the transfer after consultations with Pate, and based on diplomatic considerations, human rights and international health regulations, as well as assurances that adequate infection prevention measures would be maintained throughout the journey.
The clarification followed reports that the patient, who is the wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria, was evacuated through the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Idris dismissed suggestions that the government had secretly removed the patient from Nigeria, insisting the evacuation followed a formal request from the Swiss Embassy, noting: “I won’t use the word ‘snuck out.’
“That’s a no-brainer. It is the first time something like that has happened.”
He said government weighed the implications of the transfer for public health, international health regulations and the patient’s rights before granting approval, explaining that officials ensured that infection prevention and control protocols were followed from the hospital where the patient was receiving treatment to the aircraft that transported her.
Idris said the patient had tested positive twice before her evacuation and improvements in her clinical condition did not necessarily mean she had cleared the virus.
He commended the Nigerian medical team for stabilising her condition, which he said had deteriorated to the point of multiple organ failure, adding: “There are no drugs to deal with this virus,” referring to the absence of an established antiviral treatment specifically targeting the Bundibugyo virus responsible for the current outbreak.
In a related development, Idris said next year’s general elections could be postponed due to the Ebola outbreak, noting that if disease spreads wide enough, the Federal might need to postpone the elections scheduled to start in January, for which candidates and politicians have already begun campaigns.
He, however, stressed that no government will use Ebola as a political tool, saying: “We in the health sector did not use disease issues as a political weapon.
“We hope the election will not be postponed, but if the thing gets wide enough, that might be considered. As at now, there is no need for that.
“This Ebola thing started in DRC a couple of months ago and we were tracking. They said for you to track again, there is a possibility that it may get here due to our population movement, flight into this country and ports of entry.
“Yet, it came, no government will use Ebola as a political weapon.”
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case on October 20, after a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman living in Abuja tested positive for the disease.
The patient had returned to Nigeria on October 3, after travelling to Uganda, and developed symptoms few days later. She was subsequently admitted to a health facility in Abuja, where she received treatment in isolation before her evacuation to Switzerland on Monday.
Following her evacuation, WHO said Nigeria had no active confirmed Ebola cases, although contact monitoring and other containment measures were continuing.
The global organisation said Nigeria was continuing to monitor 52 contacts, while Switzerland had taken responsibility for the patient’s care and monitoring her husband, who was among the 53 contacts previously identified.
NCDC had earlier identified 53 primary contacts linked to the confirmed case, including healthcare workers, the patient’s husband, domestic staff and personnel involved in collecting samples.
Health authorities are monitoring the contacts for possible symptoms to detect any additional infections and prevent further transmission.
Idris, meantime, urged Nigerians to maintain good hand hygiene and exercise caution during mass gatherings, particularly where close physical contact could occur.
He said handwashing could reduce the spread of several infectious diseases, while recommending measures to limit unnecessary physical contact in crowded settings, stressing that Ebola is not airborne.
The virus spreads primarily through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person or with contaminated materials. Idris advised people who develop symptoms consistent with Ebola, particularly after contact with a suspected or confirmed case, to seek prompt medical guidance.
He also cautioned against relying on herbal mixtures to prevent or cure the disease, saying there is no established evidence that such preparations could prevent or treat Ebola, warning that some herbal products could also cause harmful side effects
