A Swiss national who tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus while in Nigeria has been discharged from Geneva University Hospitals following a full recovery. The patient, a Ugandan-born woman married to a Swiss diplomat, was medically evacuated to Switzerland in late October after developing symptoms in Abuja. Her discharge was authorised by the cantonal physician on November 11, 2026, after medical teams confirmed she no longer carried the virus, according to a hospital statement reported by Reuters.
The infection was first confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) on October 20, 2026, after blood samples tested positive at the Abuja Reference Laboratory. The patient had returned to the Nigerian capital from Uganda on October 3 and was subsequently admitted to a private health facility before the NCDC was notified. "Laboratory tests confirmed the infection on 20 October," the agency reported, marking the beginning of an intensive contact tracing operation.
Following the confirmation of the index case, the NCDC identified 62 individuals who had close contact with the patient. As of November 11, 52 of these contacts had completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period, while 10 remained under surveillance. The agency’s situation dashboard, updated on November 12, listed one confirmed case in Nigeria, seven suspected cases that tested negative, and zero deaths. The NCDC stated that no additional confirmed cases had been recorded since the initial infection was identified.
The Nigerian government’s response included rigorous contact tracing, laboratory testing, and enhanced surveillance at points of entry. Federal Health Minister Muhammad Pate confirmed the evacuation of the patient and her husband via air ambulance on October 26. The NCDC has urged healthcare workers to remain vigilant, specifically asking patients about travel histories and reporting any suspected cases immediately to public health authorities.
This imported case is part of a broader regional outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, which was first identified in May. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently experiencing the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, with the World Health Organisation reporting over 10,600 confirmed cases and more than 5,100 deaths as of early November. Kenya has also recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths. The Bundibugyo strain remains rare and lacks approved vaccines or specific treatments, making containment efforts critical.