NIGERIA MUST COMPLETE 42-DAY MONITORING TO BE DECLARED EBOLA-FREE – WHO
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By ‘Balogun Ibrahim
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Nigeria must complete a 42-day monitoring period before it can be officially declared free of Ebola, following the confirmation of a case in the country.
The Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the 53 identified contacts of the infected patient must undergo 21 days of monitoring, followed by an additional 21-day period, in line with established health protocols.
The development comes 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.
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Janabi said the patient was clinically stable after receiving treatment from Nigerian health workers, adding that Swiss authorities would take responsibility for her continued care and monitor 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, “With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases.”
However, Janabi noted that health authorities in Nigeria would continue to monitor the 52 contacts remaining in the country, while Swiss authorities would oversee the patient’s husband.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Ihekweazu explained that the monitoring period was necessary before Nigeria could be declared Ebola-free.
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.
“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.”
Ihekweazu clarified that the patient’s medical evacuation to Switzerland was not prompted by any shortcomings in Nigeria’s capacity to manage Ebola.
According to him, the transfer was carried out at the request of the patient’s country of origin.
“On Tuesday we saw the medical evacuation of the patient from Nigeria to the country from which the patient came. 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. She was medically evacuated yesterday, as we all saw,” he said.
The WHO official explained that every confirmed Ebola case requires a coordinated public health response because the disease belongs to a group of infections known as viral haemorrhagic fevers.
“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 response measures.
Ihekweazu also commended Nigeria’s handling of the case, highlighting the speed of laboratory confirmation and genetic sequencing, as well as the medical care provided to the patient.
He said the country had implemented the recommended measures effectively and expressed confidence in the response so far.
On concerns about political rallies and other public gatherings, Ihekweazu said the WHO had not recommended additional restrictions, stressing that its 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.
He emphasised that the immediate priority was to monitor all identified contacts daily, detect any possible further transmission early and respond promptly if new cases emerged.
“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.
Ihekweazu urged Nigerians to trust the government and relevant health agencies, adding that the WHO would continue to provide support to ensure the situation remained under control.
He also cautioned against politicising the incident, stressing that the response should remain focused on public health and the prevention of further transmission.
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