Ebola: WHO Explains Why Nigeria Must Wait 42 Days Before Declaring Country Disease-Free
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has explained why Nigeria must complete a mandatory 42-day monitoring period before it can officially be declared free of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, despite the evacuation of the country’s confirmed patient to Switzerland.
According to reports by Punch, BusinessDay and TheCable, the WHO says the absence of active Ebola cases does not automatically mean the outbreak is over. Health authorities must first establish that no further transmission has occurred.
Why the 42-Day Wait?
Speaking during an interview on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, explained that health officials must monitor identified contacts for 21 days, followed by an additional 21-day period under the applicable outbreak-closure protocol.
The 42-day period is based on twice the maximum 21-day incubation period of Ebola. It provides health authorities with time to detect possible infections and confirm that transmission has been interrupted.
Ihekweazu said the monitoring process remains necessary even after the infected patient was evacuated from Nigeria.
Nigeria Has No Active Cases, But Surveillance Continues
The development follows the medical evacuation of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola patient and her husband to Switzerland. The WHO had earlier clarified that Nigeria currently had no confirmed active case following the evacuation, but stressed that the country had not yet been officially declared Ebola-free.
Punch and BusinessDay reported that health officials were monitoring 53 identified contacts linked to the case, with Nigerian authorities responsible for those remaining in the country and Swiss authorities overseeing the husband.
The Federal Government has indicated that Nigeria could potentially declare the outbreak over by December 7, 2026, if no further confirmed or probable cases emerge and the WHO criteria are satisfied.
WHO Commends Nigeria’s Response
Ihekweazu also praised aspects of Nigeria’s response, including the speed of laboratory confirmation, genetic sequencing and the medical management of the patient.
He clarified that the patient’s evacuation to Switzerland was made at the request of her country of origin and did not indicate that Nigeria lacked the capacity to manage the infection.
Meanwhile, health authorities continue to emphasise contact tracing, daily monitoring and preparedness across health facilities to prevent further transmission.
As Nigerians await the official declaration, the message from health authorities remains clear: having no active cases is encouraging, but completing the required monitoring period is essential to confirming that the outbreak is over.
Sources: Punch, BusinessDay, TheCable and Channels Television.
