Misinfo Alert: Nigeria Not Declared Ebola-free, says WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Nigeria has not yet been declared Ebola-free.

On Monday, Nigeria’s index Ebola patient was evacuated to Switzerland by air ambulance for further medical treatment.

Following the evacuation, the WHO said Nigeria had no active Ebola case. However, some platforms interpreted the development to mean that the country was Ebola-free.

“With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases,” Mohamed Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, said.

In an X post on Monday, the WHO clarified that the report that Nigeria has been declared Ebola free was inaccurate and misleading, noting that the absence of active cases does not mean the country has been officially declared Ebola-free.

“WHO has not declared Nigeria Ebola‑free. Nigeria currently has no confirmed case of Ebola following the medical evacuation of the index patient to Switzerland,” the post reads.

The organisation said health officials were monitoring 52 contacts who might have been exposed to the virus.

According to the WHO, under the International Health Regulations, a country can be declared Ebola-free only after a 42-day period following the last confirmed case testing negative twice for the virus.

The organisation said the countdown also applies in the current situation following the evacuation of the confirmed case.

The 42-day period is followed by heightened surveillance to detect any potential new infections.

The WHO called on the media organisation responsible for the headline to retract and correct it, describing it as an inaccurate interpretation of an X post by the WHO regional director for Africa.