Nigeria’s index case of the imported Ebola virus disease has been evacuated to Switzerland for further care, Minister of Health, Ali Pate, has said.

Pate disclosed that the patient departed Abuja earlier Monday with his approval, adding that her spouse, who has remained asymptomatic, accompanied her.

In a statement, the minister said the patient’s clinical condition had improved significantly before the evacuation.

He said she was stable, conscious and able to communicate, while her laboratory test results were approaching baseline levels.

However, Pate cautioned that the improvement did not necessarily mean the patient was no longer infectious, stressing that strict public health protocols remained in place.

“The index patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards baseline. This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” he said.

The minister commended the clinical personnel who treated the patient, as well as public health officials who coordinated the evacuation in accordance with established public health measures.

He said the government would provide further updates later Monday after the patient and her spouse had arrived safely at their destination.

Pate assured Nigerians that public health measures were ongoing to contain the imported virus, urging citizens to remain vigilant and obtain information from credible sources.

“All public health measures are continuing to ensure successful containment of the imported virus. I urge Nigerians to remain vigilant and rely on information from credible sources,” he said.

The minister did not provide further details about the circumstances of the evacuation or the treatment arrangements in Switzerland.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it is monitoring 53 primary contacts linked to the country’s confirmed Ebola case, as investigations expand to include people who may have been exposed to the patient at multiple locations.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday during a press briefing, explaining that 44 of the contacts were associated with the health facility where the patient was treated, while nine others had been identified outside the facility.

The additional contacts include three members of the patient’s household and individuals who attended to her at an emergency room she visited before arriving at the facility where her Ebola infection was subsequently confirmed.

Idris said the agency was extending its contact-tracing exercise beyond people who had direct contact with the patient to identify others who might have been exposed through the initial group of contacts.

“As of now, we have 53 primary contacts. Of these, 44 are people from that health facility where the patient was treated,” he said.

The latest figure represents an increase from the 44 contacts initially announced by the Federal Government following the confirmation of the Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on October 20.

According to information previously provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the patient, a woman who recently travelled from Uganda, developed symptoms on October 7 and sought medical attention on October 11 before her infection was confirmed.

The NCDC said investigations were ongoing to establish the full chain of possible exposure and ensure that everyone who might have come into contact with the patient was identified and placed under appropriate monitoring.

Explaining the process, Idris said health officials would interview each identified contact to determine whether they had interacted with other people who might also require monitoring.

“For each person, we are going to ask questions. We have to establish who they have been in contact with. If we can identify those people, they will also be monitored,” he said.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has approved an emergency payment of N100,000 per person, weekly, for individuals placed in isolation or quarantine as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The Director-General of the agency, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday.

“We introduced the payment after some contacts raised concerns about feeding, accommodation and how to take care of their families while under monitoring. The support is to ease their financial burden and encourage them to cooperate with health officials,” Idris said.

The NCDC chief explained that the payment was not included in the initial response plan but became necessary because of the concerns raised by those affected.

“This was not planned for, but it is an emergency. We will continue to review it as we go along,” he said.

Idris also called on state governments to prepare financially and logistically for public health emergencies.

He stressed that the responsibility for containing outbreaks should not rest on the FCT alone.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has announced two more suspected cases of Ebola in the country.

Dr Jide Idris, the Director General of the NCDC, announced this on Sunday at a press briefing, where he emphasised that the cases are still suspected.

He explained that a suspected case in Rivers State was found negative and cleared of the disease.