The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that Nigeria must complete a 42-day monitoring period before it can be officially declared free of Ebola. This is despite the evacuation of the country's confirmed patient and her husband to Switzerland. According to the WHO, 53 contacts linked to the patient have been identified and must be monitored to establish that no further transmission has occurred.
The WHO's Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Programme, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, explained that the 42-day period is necessary to monitor people who had contact with the patient and establish that no further transmission of the virus had occurred. He disclosed that the monitoring process would involve an initial 21-day period, followed by another 21 days before Nigeria could receive an official declaration that it was Ebola-free.
Dr. Ihekweazu further clarified that the timeline was based on established WHO protocols applied in countries responding to similar incidents. He added that these protocols are standard and used in every country around the world that has a similar incident. The WHO official commended Nigeria's rapid laboratory confirmation, genetic sequencing, and medical management of the patient.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, stated that Nigeria currently has no active Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the confirmed patient and her husband to Switzerland. Janabi said Nigerian medical personnel had successfully stabilized the patient before her evacuation, while Swiss authorities would take responsibility for her continued treatment and the monitoring of her husband, who was identified as contact number 53.
Despite the absence of active cases in Nigeria, Dr. Ihekweazu stressed that the country must maintain surveillance until the required monitoring period was completed. He said the priority was to track every identified contact daily, detect any further infection promptly, and initiate an appropriate response if another case emerged.
The WHO official dismissed suggestions that the patient's evacuation was prompted by the inability of Nigerian health facilities to manage Ebola. He explained that the evacuation was undertaken at the request of the patient's country of origin and was not a response to any deficit in the management capacities in Nigeria.
Dr. Ihekweazu urged Nigerians to cooperate with the government and relevant health agencies, stressing that the daily monitoring of identified contacts remained central to preventing further transmission. He expressed confidence that Nigeria could contain the incident through continued cooperation between the government and the WHO.
Key points
- Nigeria must complete a 42-day monitoring period to be declared Ebola-free.
- 53 contacts linked to the patient have been identified and must be monitored.
- The WHO has not recommended restrictions on political rallies or other public gatherings.
