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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Swiss authorities have confirmed the safe arrival of Nigeria’s Ebola index patient and her husband in Switzerland following their medical evacuation from Abuja on Monday, even as Nigerian health authorities continue contact tracing and surveillance to prevent further transmission of the virus.
The 42-year-old patient is receiving treatment at Geneva University Hospitals, while her husband, who has remained asymptomatic, has been placed in isolation at University Hospital Zurich.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in a statement posted on his X account on Monday, saying the evacuation was facilitated through cooperation among Nigerian and Swiss health authorities and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Pate said Swiss Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider had confirmed the development during a telephone conversation in which she expressed appreciation for the medical care provided to the patient in Nigeria and the coordination that made her evacuation possible.
“In our telephone conversation, Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider conveyed Switzerland’s appreciation for the care provided by Nigerian health professionals and the close cooperation between our authorities and the World Health Organisation (WHO) that made the evacuation possible,” he stated.
The minister commended Nigerian clinicians, nurses, laboratory scientists and public health personnel involved in managing the patient before her evacuation, as well as their Swiss counterparts who coordinated her transfer and continued treatment.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, WHO and other institutions involved in the operation.
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Pate expressed hope for the patient’s continued recovery and thanked the authorities of both countries for ensuring that the medical evacuation was carried out safely.
He, however, emphasised that the departure of the patient and her husband did not signal the end of Nigeria’s Ebola containment efforts, as health authorities remained engaged in monitoring identified contacts and investigating suspected cases.
“Here in Nigeria, contact monitoring, investigation of alerts and other containment measures continue, with support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and WHO Africa,” he said.
The minister assured Nigerians that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and NCDC would continue providing updates on the situation, while urging members of the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with health officials.
The development follows earlier warnings by WHO and Nigerian medical experts that the evacuation of the index patient, although leaving Nigeria without a confirmed active case, did not eliminate the possibility of further infections among persons exposed to the virus.
Health authorities have consequently maintained surveillance of identified contacts, including potentially exposed healthcare workers and other individuals, with emphasis on completing the prescribed 21-day monitoring period.
Medical experts have also cautioned that clinical improvement does not necessarily mean an Ebola patient is no longer infectious, underscoring the need for continued treatment, isolation and appropriate infection prevention measures.
The Federal Government has maintained that contact tracing, investigation of alerts and other containment measures will continue in collaboration with international health partners to prevent secondary transmission and ensure the early detection of any new case.
