The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Nigeria must complete a 42-day monitoring period before it can be declared free of Ebola, following the confirmation of a case in the country.
The Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the 53 identified contacts of the infected patient must be monitored for 21 days, followed by a further 21-day period without new cases, in line with established protocols.
His clarification came after the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, announced on Monday that Nigeria currently had no active Ebola cases following the medical evacuation of the infected patient and her husband to Switzerland.
Janabi said the patient was clinically stable after receiving treatment from Nigerian medical personnel, adding that Swiss authorities would take responsibility for her continued management and the monitoring of her husband, who was identified as contact number 53.
“The Nigerian medical team successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilised her condition,” he said.
He added that the evacuation meant Nigeria currently had no active Ebola cases, although surveillance and contact tracing would continue.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Ihekweazu explained that the absence of active cases did not mean Nigeria had met the requirements for an official declaration that it was Ebola-free.
He said health authorities must continue monitoring all identified contacts for 21 days, followed by another 21-day period, to establish that no further transmission had occurred.
“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,” he said.
“These are the standard protocols as defined by the World Health Organisation, where I work, and which we use in every country around the world that has a similar incident.”
The WHO official also dismissed suggestions that the patient’s evacuation to Switzerland was prompted by inadequate medical facilities or expertise in Nigeria.
According to him, the decision was made at the request of the patient’s country of origin and did not reflect any shortcomings in Nigeria’s capacity to manage the disease. “This wasn’t a response to any deficit in the management capacities in Nigeria. This was at the request of the country of origin of the case,” he said.
Ihekweazu explained that Ebola, which belongs to a group of infections known as viral haemorrhagic fevers, required an immediate and coordinated response whenever a case was confirmed.
“For certain diseases, a group of diseases we call the viral haemorrhagic fevers, of which Ebola is one of them, we consider every single case an equivalent of an outbreak and requiring a coordinated response,” he said.
He added that the WHO had supported the Nigerian government in implementing the necessary measures to contain the disease and prevent further transmission.
Assessing Nigeria’s response, Ihekweazu commended the speed of laboratory confirmation and genetic sequencing, as well as the management of the infected patient.
He said the country had implemented the recommended response measures effectively, expressing confidence in the ongoing efforts to contain the situation.
“Nigeria’s going to be proud of the response so far,” he said.
On concerns about political rallies and other public gatherings amid the Ebola scare, Ihekweazu said the WHO had not recommended additional restrictions.
He stressed that the organisation’s advice was based on technical assessments rather than political considerations.
“We haven’t advised any restrictions on further gatherings. Our advice is never political. It’s always technical. And we will continue to support the government in this response,” he said.
The WHO official, however, emphasised that the immediate priority was to ensure that every identified contact was monitored daily to enable health authorities to detect and respond quickly to any new infection.
“The key thing now is for every single contact that the patient had to be followed up every single day, that is happening, and to ensure that there’s no further transmission, if there is transmission, to detect it early and respond appropriately,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to trust the government and relevant health agencies, warning against politicising the public health response.
Ihekweazu expressed confidence that, with continued surveillance and support from the WHO, Nigeria could contain the situation and prevent further transmission.
