Swiss Ebola patient in Nigeria evacuated to Switzerland with husband
A Swiss woman treated for Ebola in Nigeria was medically evacuated to Switzerland with her husband, while Nigeria monitors 52 contacts and confirms no remaining cases.
Swiss Ebola patient in Nigeria evacuated to Switzerland with husband A Swiss woman treated for Ebola in Nigeria was medically evacuated to Switzerland with her husband, while Nigeria monitors 52 contacts and confirms no remaining cases. A Swiss woman being treated for Ebola in Nigeria was medically evacuated to Switzerland with her husband on Monday, Nigerian health officials said. Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Pate said the woman, the country's first case in the current outbreak, left the capital, Abuja, early Monday with his approval. Her condition had improved significantly, and she was stable, conscious and able to communicate, he said. Pate wrote on X that this does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place. Her husband, a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria, has shown no symptoms, according to officials. The World Health Organization's regional director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said the evacuation was arranged because the couple are Swiss citizens.Janabi said Nigerian medical teams had stabilized the woman after treating her through the acute phase of the illness. Switzerland will take over her care and monitor her husband, while Nigeria will continue following 52 other contacts, Janabi said. He said that with the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases, while stressing that vigilance remained critical. Pate said containment measures remained in place and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant.Woman Tested Positive After Uganda ReturnThe woman tested positive after returning to Abuja from Uganda, according to Nigerian authorities. Officials said Friday they had yet to establish how she contracted the virus. Switzerland's foreign ministry told The Associated Press that she had not visited Congo and was believed to have been infected while travelling to Uganda with her husband.The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the first patients in Nigeria and Kenya had both traveled through Uganda's Entebbe International Airport on Oct. 3. Uganda had previously reported Ebola cases but later declared itself free of the virus. Kenya has recorded nine cases, including two deaths, since confirming its first case earlier this month. The spread of Ebola beyond Congo has heightened longstanding fears among health authorities about the rapid transmission of the rare Bundibugyo virus.Congo Outbreak Surpassing 2014 Death TollThe latest figures from Congo's health ministry show more than 9,900 cases, including more than 4,800 deaths, since the outbreak began in May. The WHO has said the outbreak is the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record. It is on track to surpass the death toll of the deadliest: West Africa's 2014-2016 outbreak, which killed 11,000 people. Nigeria was among the countries affected in that outbreak, recording 20 cases before its outbreak was declared over after three months.Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Dyepkazah Shibayan And Mark Banchereau, The Associated Press
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