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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced that all 62 contacts linked to the country’s imported case of Bundibugyo Virus Disease, a form of Ebola disease, have completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing the infection.
NCDC said the development means Nigeria has recorded no secondary transmission from the index case, which was confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20, 2026. The Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, on Friday, said the last contact was discharged from monitoring on November 13, marking a significant milestone in the country’s response to the imported case.
He also announced that the index patient, who was medically evacuated to Switzerland for further treatment, had recovered, tested negative for the virus and was successfully discharged from hospital.
Idris explained that although the patient received initial clinical care in Nigeria, she was later evacuated to Switzerland on October 26, for further management.
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“Laboratory tests conducted upon her arrival in Switzerland confirmed that she was still positive for Bundibugyo Virus Disease.
“However, following further treatment and medical care, the patient recovered and subsequently tested negative for the virus before being discharged,” he said.
Providing details of the contact monitoring exercise, the NCDC boss said 62 contacts were identified, placed in quarantine and monitored by public health teams throughout the 21-day period. He disclosed that 13 of the contacts reported fever or other non-specific symptoms during the monitoring period, but laboratory tests conducted on all of them returned negative for the disease. “Similarly, seven alerts reported across Adamawa, Rivers, Borno, Lagos and Ekiti states within the past three weeks were investigated, with all seven testing negative for Bundibugyo Virus Disease,” he added.
Idris, however, cautioned that the completion of contact monitoring did not automatically amount to a formal declaration that the outbreak was over, noting that such a determination must be based on established public health criteria and findings from ongoing surveillance.
