The World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified that Nigeria has not been declared free of Ebola, after an earlier statement by its Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, was interpreted by some media platforms as an official declaration that the outbreak had been overcome, The Sun Nigeria reported.

Source: The Sun Nigeria

Janabi had said that with the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases. He added, however, that vigilance remains critical: Nigeria will continue the close follow-up of 52 contacts, while Switzerland will assume responsibility for the continued management of the patient and the follow-up of contact number 53, her husband.

Under WHO criteria, a period of 42 days — twice the maximum 21-day incubation period of Ebola — must pass without further confirmed or probable infections before an outbreak can be declared over, and heightened surveillance must continue afterwards. Any new confirmed or probable case would require a fresh countdown.

Source: BusinessDay Nigeria

42 daysCountdown required with no new case
53Contacts identified in Nigeria
Dec 7, 2026Earliest possible outbreak-over date

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate said Nigeria could begin the process of declaring the outbreak over as early as December 7, subject to validation of the countdown by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and WHO. "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," Pate said.

Pate said the government's immediate priorities remain active monitoring of all identified contacts, prompt investigation of alerts and strengthened readiness across health facilities, with response teams working alongside the Federal Capital Territory Administration, state health authorities and development partners to prevent community transmission.

Nigeria's index patient, a 42-year-old Ugandan-born woman and wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, was confirmed to have Ebola virus disease on October 20, BusinessDay reported. She had travelled to Nigeria from Uganda through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, arriving on October 3, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought treatment at a private health facility on October 11 before her infection was confirmed through laboratory testing. Nigeria identified 53 contacts linked to the case.