Nigeria must complete 42 days of monitoring before it can be declared free of Ebola, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said, despite the evacuation of the country’s confirmed patient to Switzerland.
He explained that health authorities must monitor all 53 identified contacts of the patient for 21 days, followed by another 21-day period before Nigeria can be declared Ebola-free.
Why Nigeria must wait 42 days
Ihekweazu clarified that evacuating the patient did not mean Nigeria could immediately be declared free of the disease.
He said, “What it means still is that we have about 53 people, contacts, individuals with whom that individual had contact over the days that she was ill. And now we have to continue to follow each of them for 21 days and then require another 21 days, coming up to 42, in order to declare Nigeria Ebola-free.”
According to him, the monitoring period follows standard WHO protocols applied to similar incidents worldwide.
He also dismissed suggestions that the evacuation resulted from inadequate medical facilities in Nigeria, explaining that it was requested by the patient’s country of origin.
WHO commends Nigeria’s Ebola response
The WHO official praised Nigeria’s response, highlighting the speed of laboratory confirmation, sequencing and treatment.
Ihekweazu also said the organisation had not recommended restrictions on political rallies or other public gatherings.
He stressed that daily monitoring of identified contacts remained essential to detecting and containing any further transmission.
Nigeria’s Ebola surveillance will therefore continue until health authorities complete the required monitoring period and establish that no further transmission has occurred.