Nigeria could progress towards declaring the Ebola outbreak over under the World Health Organisation’s criteria, potentially as early as 7 December 2026, if no further confirmed or probable cases are detected.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, disclosed this in a post on his X page.

He said that following the imported Ebola index patient’s medical evacuation from Nigeria today, 26 October, the government’s immediate priorities remain active monitoring of all identified contacts, prompt investigation of alerts, and strengthened readiness across our health facilities.

“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,” the minister stated. “This date remains provisional, subject to NCDC and WHO validating the 42-day countdown.”

He, however, noted that “any further case would require a fresh countdown in accordance with those criteria”.

“Our teams, working with FCTA and state health authorities and our partners, remain focused on containment and preventing community transmission,” Pate said. “I ask Nigerians to remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow regular updates from NCDC and FMoH.”

Nigeria announced its first confirmed case of the Bundibugyo strain in the Federal Capital Territory on October 20, 2026.

It identified the patient as a woman with a recent travel history to Uganda, who returned to Nigeria with symptoms on October 7, which progressed four days later before tests confirmed the infection, though the Ugandan authorities denied reports of an Ebola outbreak in the East African nation.

On Sunday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said that the number of contacts, including health workers, linked to the patient had risen to 53.

On Monday, Pate confirmed that the index patient was flown to Switzerland, disclosing that the woman, who was evacuated along with her husband, was stable and conscious and had clinically improved.

The minister, however, noted that her improvements did not mean she was no longer infectious, stating that strict protocols were put in place before her evacuation.