WHO Clarifies: Nigeria Not Yet Declared Ebola-Free Despite No Active Cases

According to a report by The Cable on Monday, October 26, 2026, The World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified that Nigeria has not been officially declared Ebola-free, despite having no confirmed active cases following the medical evacuation of the country’s index patient to Switzerland.

The clarification came on Monday after reports circulated on social media and some media platforms suggesting that Nigeria had been declared free of the deadly viral disease following the patient’s evacuation.

The WHO explained that the absence of confirmed active cases does not automatically mean a country has met the requirements for an official Ebola-free declaration.

In a statement published on its official X account on Monday, the organisation said Nigeria currently had no confirmed Ebola cases following the evacuation of the index patient for further medical treatment.

“WHO has not declared Nigeria Ebola-free. Nigeria currently has no confirmed case of Ebola following the medical evacuation of the index patient to Switzerland,” the organisation stated.

The clarification followed remarks by Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, who had said Nigeria currently had no Ebola cases following the evacuation of the patient and her husband.

On Monday, the index patient was reportedly flown to Switzerland by air ambulance for further treatment.

However, the WHO stressed that the development should not be interpreted as an official declaration that the country is free of the disease.

Despite the absence of confirmed active cases, the WHO disclosed that health authorities were monitoring 52 contacts who might have been exposed to the virus.

Contact tracing is a critical part of controlling Ebola outbreaks because it enables health officials to identify and monitor people who may have come into contact with an infected person.

Such monitoring helps authorities detect potential infections early and prevent further transmission if additional cases emerge.

The organisation’s clarification indicates that public health surveillance remains necessary even after the confirmed patient has been evacuated for treatment.

Health authorities must continue to assess the situation and follow established procedures before the country can be officially declared Ebola-free.

The monitoring of contacts is particularly important because Ebola can spread through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated materials.

The WHO has therefore emphasised the importance of distinguishing between having no currently confirmed cases and having formally ended an outbreak.

According to the WHO, the International Health Regulations provide a framework for determining when an Ebola outbreak can be considered over.

Under the procedure outlined by the organisation, a country must complete a 42-day period following the last confirmed case testing negative for the virus twice before it can be declared Ebola-free.

The 42-day period represents twice the maximum incubation period generally used for Ebola surveillance, allowing health authorities to monitor for possible additional infections.

The countdown also applies to Nigeria’s current situation following the evacuation of the confirmed patient, according to the WHO’s statement.

Once the required period has been completed, authorities continue heightened surveillance to identify any potential new infections and ensure that the outbreak has been contained.

The process is designed to reduce the risk of declaring an outbreak over prematurely while undetected infections may still exist.

Consequently, Nigeria’s current status of having no confirmed active cases does not remove the need for contact tracing, monitoring and other public health measures.

The WHO also called on the media organisation responsible for the headline suggesting that Nigeria had been declared Ebola-free to retract and correct the report.

The organisation described the headline as an inaccurate and misleading interpretation of the statement published by its regional director for Africa.

It stressed that accurate reporting of public health developments is essential, particularly during an outbreak, when misinformation can create confusion about the level of risk and the measures required to control the disease.

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