Nigeria fit declare say Ebola don finish by December 7, health minister tok
- Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate say Nigeria fit declare say Ebola outbreak don end as early as December 7.
- Dem fly di first patient and her husband go Switzerland on Monday, so no Ebola case remain for Nigeria, WHO talk.
- Di date depend on 42 days without new cases and validation by NCDC and WHO.
Nigeria fit formally declare say Ebola outbreak don end on December 7, 2026, if no new confirmed or probable cases show up before then, di Minister of Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, talk on Monday.
Pate, wey also dey coordinate di Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, announce di provisional date for one post on him X account. He talk say dem still go need check and approve di 42-day countdown by di Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and di World Health Organisation (WHO).
Him statement come same day wey dem fly di country first Ebola patient and her husband go Switzerland for further treatment. Di WHO Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi, talk for one post on X say with dia departure, Nigeria currently no get any Ebola case.
Why December 7 no be clean bill of health yet
Under WHO rules, dem dey generally declare Ebola outbreak over after 42 days pass with no new cases, counted from di second negative test of di last confirmed patient or from dat patient death.
Pate clear say di date na target, no be guarantee. Any new case go reset di clock and push di declaration back.
"Dis date remain provisional, subject to @NCDCgov and WHO validating di 42-day countdown," he talk.
For now, health teams dey watch 52 people wey had contact with di patient. Swiss authorities dey handle her treatment and dey monitor her husband, wey dem count as di 53rd contact.
Pate talk say government priorities na to track those contacts, investigate alerts quickly and make sure health facilities across di country ready. Teams dey work with di Federal Capital Territory Administration, state health authorities and development partners to stop di virus from spreading for communities.
He ask Nigerians to stay calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow updates from NCDC and di ministry.
How di outbreak start
Nigeria confirm im first imported case of di Bundibugyo strain of Ebola on October 20. Di patient, one 42-year-old woman, return from Uganda, arrive Abuja on October 3 through Addis Ababa, according to di NCDC. She fall sick four days later and dem later hospitalise her for one private facility for Abuja, where tests confirm di infection.
Genomic sequencing wey dem release on October 23 show say di virus for di Nigerian patient closely related to Kenya first confirmed Ebola case. Di outbreak also hit parts of di Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya. Dem declare Uganda Ebola-free in August, while Kenya don record nine confirmed infections and two deaths.
Wetin go happen next: Di NCDC and WHO go continue monitor contacts and check alerts. If di 42 days pass without new case, Nigeria fit move to declare say outbreak don end on December 7. If case show, di countdown go start again.
