By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Nigeria must complete a 42-day monitoring period before it can be declared Ebola-free, despite the evacuation of the index case to Switzerland.
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme and former Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), gave the warning while appearing on Arise TV Morning Show, monitored by Persecondnews.
He explained that the 53 contacts linked to the patient must be monitored for 21 days, followed by another 21 days before Nigeria can be declared Ebola-free.
“For certain diseases, a group of diseases we call the viral hemorrhagic fevers, of which Ebola is one of them, we consider every single case equivalent of an outbreak and requiring a coordinated response,” he said.
Ihekweazu clarified that the patient’s evacuation was carried out at the request of her country of origin, not because Nigeria lacked the capacity to manage her condition.
He said the priority remained daily monitoring of all identified contacts to detect further infections early and prevent additional transmission.
“Nigerians can be proud of the response so far. We haven’t advised for any restriction of further gatherings. Our advice is never political; it’s always technical, and we will continue to support the government in this response,”he noted.
Addressing concerns about political rallies and the 2027 general elections, Ihekweazu said the WHO had not recommended restrictions on gatherings, insisting that public health decisions must be guided by technical advice.
On the wider Ebola crisis in Africa, he disclosed that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had recorded about 10,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.
The country was reporting between 50 and 80 new confirmed cases daily, with the outbreak in its sixth month and affecting eight provinces in eastern DRC.
The former NCDC chief stated that the affected area covered more than 1,000 square kilometres, while response capacity had expanded to over 2,000 active beds and more than 25 laboratories.
“Last week there was finally some good news. Together with many partners, we supported the government to start vaccine trials for three vaccine candidates in the DRC,” he said.
He explained that the trials, led by the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research, targeted the Bundibugyo strain, which had only two previously reported outbreaks.
Ihekweazu expressed hope that successful trials could deliver a vaccine against the strain by the end of the year.
He also advocated stronger disease surveillance, investment in local scientific expertise and the use of artificial intelligence to improve contact tracing and provide real-time public health data.
Recalling Nigeria’s digitalisation of disease surveillance during his tenure at the NCDC, he emphasised the need for African countries to strengthen preparedness and support countries experiencing outbreaks.
“We have to keep pushing and make sure that we are able across the continent, across all its countries, because no country is safe until everyone is safe.”
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