The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced the completion of the 21-day monitoring period for all 62 contacts linked to the country’s imported Ebola case, with no secondary transmission recorded.
The Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists on the country’s response to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), following the confirmation of an imported case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on October 20, 2026.
Idris said the last contact was discharged from monitoring on Friday, adding that none of the 62 people identified and placed under quarantine developed the disease.
He explained that 13 contacts reported fever or other non-specific symptoms during the monitoring period, but all tested negative for the virus.
The NCDC boss also disclosed that seven alerts reported from Adamawa, Rivers, Borno, Lagos and Ekiti states within the last three weeks were investigated, with all the suspected cases testing negative.
He, however, cautioned that the completion of contact monitoring does not amount to a formal declaration that Nigeria is free of Ebola, stressing that such a determination would depend on established public health criteria and surveillance findings.
“Interestingly too, for any country to declare Ebola-free, that would be done by the World Health Organisation based on its own protocols,” he said.
Idris said Nigeria would sustain its surveillance and preparedness activities, particularly as Ebola continued to occur in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He explained that the index case was detected following an alert raised by healthcare workers through the NCDC’s event-based surveillance system, enabling the agency, in collaboration with the FCT health authorities and other institutions, to commence investigations promptly.
According to him, the National Emergency Operations Centre was activated and an Incident Management System established to coordinate the national response under the leadership of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.
He said the response focused on providing appropriate clinical care, identifying and monitoring exposed persons, preventing further transmission, protecting healthcare workers and strengthening disease surveillance.
The NCDC director-general said contact tracing was conducted across healthcare facilities, households and other relevant settings, while infection prevention and control measures were strengthened in health facilities within the FCT and across the country.
He added that healthcare workers received training, while personal protective equipment and other infection prevention supplies were provided to support response activities at the affected hospital and relevant points of entry.
Idris also said the agency intensified public communication and community engagement to address misinformation, noting that inaccurate information during an infectious disease outbreak could create unnecessary fear, undermine public trust and discourage people from seeking medical attention.
On the index patient, he disclosed that she had received clinical care in Nigeria before being medically evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 for further management.
He said laboratory tests conducted upon her arrival in Switzerland confirmed that she remained positive for the virus, but she subsequently recovered, tested negative and was discharged from the hospital.
Addressing concerns over the patient’s evacuation, Idris dismissed suggestions that it was prompted by a lack of confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He said the private hospital where the patient was initially treated managed her condition appropriately before the evacuation.
“It is not a matter of trust issues. The hospital here managed the case properly and as best as it could do,” he said.
According to him, the patient was ambulant, able to walk and communicate before leaving Nigeria, while her subsequent treatment and monitoring continued in Switzerland until she tested negative.
He explained that the evacuation was initiated by the foreign country, adding that both countries maintained communication and exchanged information throughout the treatment process.
On the country’s preparedness, Idris said the NCDC’s Emergency Operations Centre remained activated, with the Incident Management System operating at Level 3, the highest response level for Ebola Virus Disease.
He disclosed that all states had been brought into the national preparedness framework, although their levels of readiness varied.
The NCDC boss explained that states were initially classified into three categories based on their risk profiles, with 10 states having international airports and borders identified as high-risk locations.
He said the agency had also provided preparedness guidelines to other states to strengthen their capacity to detect and respond to possible cases.
“All the states are queued in. They may be at different stages of preparedness, but that is what we are urging them to do,” he said.
Idris added that the NCDC was supporting states through training, initial supplies and other interventions to strengthen sub-national capacity to respond to infectious disease threats before seeking federal support.
He said the agency would continue to investigate alerts, strengthen infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities, and work with Port Health Services to sustain appropriate public health measures at international points of entry.
The NCDC director-general also urged Nigerians and international visitors to seek medical attention promptly whenever they became unwell, particularly those with recent travel history or possible exposure to infectious diseases.
He advised people not to assume that every fever was malaria and urged them to disclose their travel history and possible exposure to healthcare workers when seeking medical attention.
Idris further called on organisers of religious gatherings, political rallies, concerts, festivals and sporting events expected during the December festive season to make adequate arrangements for sanitation, safe drinking water, medical assistance and prompt reporting of suspected illnesses.
He said the NCDC had developed public health guidance for mass gatherings to support organisers and participants.
He also reminded inbound international travellers to complete the National Health Declaration Form before arrival in Nigeria and provide accurate information about their health and travel history.
“There is no reason for panic. What is required is continued vigilance, early reporting and cooperation with public health authorities,” he said.
Earlier, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Adedolapo Fasawe, who spoke at the briefing, said the initial alert was raised by a private health facility after taking the patient’s travel history and suspecting a possible Ebola infection.
She said the FCT Rapid Response Team was immediately deployed to the hospital, adding that members of the team also completed a three-week isolation period and remained healthy.
She commended the private hospital for its vigilance and urged other private healthcare facilities in the FCT to promptly report suspected cases through the NCDC emergency line or the FCT health authorities.
The secretary said the effective collaboration between the NCDC, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, development partners and the FCT authorities contributed to the successful management of the incident.