Nigeria’s index Ebola patient arrives safely in Switzerland for treatment
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed on Monday that the country’s first imported Ebola case and her spouse have arrived safely in Switzerland.
In a statement posted on X, Pate said, “The Swiss authorities have confirmed that the patient and her spouse arrived safely in Switzerland today. She is receiving care at Geneva University Hospitals, while her spouse is in isolation at University Hospital Zurich.”
The 42-year-old patient, the wife of a Swiss diplomat, had been evacuated earlier in the day from Abuja by air ambulance after showing clinical improvement.
She remains potentially infectious, officials noted.
The case involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease and is Nigeria’s first imported Ebola infection in more than a decade.
The patient had recently travelled from Uganda.
Pate said Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider expressed Switzerland’s appreciation “for the care provided by Nigerian health professionals and the close cooperation between our authorities and WHO that made the evacuation possible.”
He thanked clinical and public-health teams in both countries, along with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Swiss health authorities and WHO Nigeria, and wished the patient continued recovery.
Containment efforts continue in Nigeria.
“Here in Nigeria, contact monitoring, investigation of alerts and other containment measures continue, with support from Africa CDC and WHO AFRO,” Pate stated.
Authorities said they would provide regular updates through official channels.
