Nigeria has evacuated its confirmed Ebola patient to Switzerland for further medical care as authorities step up efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.
The 42-year-old woman, who contracted the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease, departed Abuja aboard a medical aircraft at about 6am on Monday.
She was taken to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in an ambulance convoy accompanied by diplomatic vehicles.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, confirmed the evacuation in a post on X, saying he had approved the transfer.
Pate disclosed that the patient had shown considerable improvement before leaving Nigeria. She was stable, conscious and able to communicate, while her laboratory results were nearing baseline levels.
He, however, warned that an improvement in her condition did not automatically mean she was no longer infectious, stressing that established public health precautions remained necessary.
The woman travelled with her husband, a Swiss diplomat who has reportedly shown no symptoms of the disease.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has expanded its contact-tracing exercise, identifying 53 primary contacts as of October 25, compared with the 44 initially reported. The contacts are being monitored for possible symptoms.
Nigeria confirmed the infection on October 20 after the woman, who had travelled from Uganda, tested positive in Abuja. She reportedly developed symptoms on October 7 and sought treatment at a private hospital four days later.
The confirmation prompted the NCDC to activate emergency response measures, including contact tracing, laboratory investigations and enhanced infection-prevention procedures in health facilities.
Authorities have also introduced expanded health declaration requirements for passengers arriving from all countries and reinforced surveillance at five international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt.
Several agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Port Health Services, immigration and customs, are participating in the response.
The evacuation comes against the backdrop of a wider Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 2026. Kenya has also reported nine cases.
Nigeria previously battled an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller from Liberia arrived in Lagos. The outbreak resulted in 20 confirmed cases and eight deaths before it was declared over in October that year.
The NCDC has urged Nigerians to remain alert, cooperate with health officials and rely on credible sources for information while containment measures continue.