The World Health Organization has debunked media reports claiming Nigeria has been declared officially Ebola-free, issuing a formal misinfo alert to clarify that while the nation currently has zero active cases following the medical evacuation of the index patient, formal certification cannot be granted yet.
The international health agency issued the official clarification via its official channels on Monday, calling on news outlets to retract and correct misleading headlines that misinterpreted a statement by the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Janabi.
The controversy follows the successful early morning medical evacuation of a forty-two-year-old Swiss citizen—who contracted the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola after traveling from Uganda—and her husband to Switzerland for continued clinical care.
Under the International Health Regulations, a country can only be formally declared free of an Ebola outbreak after a mandatory forty-two-day period—representing two full incubation cycles—elapses following the last confirmed case testing negative twice or following an evacuation, accompanied by heightened surveillance.
You Might Also Like
