The Federal Government has reportedly confirmed the evacuation of Nigeria’s Ebola index patient and her husband to Switzerland, following earlier reports that a woman believed to be the country’s index patient was flown out of Nigeria by air ambulance.
The evacuation reportedly took place early Monday through the private aviation section of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
According to ARISE News, sources had earlier indicated that the woman, reportedly the wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria, would be evacuated at about 6 a.m.
A crew deployed to the airport’s General Aviation Terminal reportedly observed a convoy of ambulances and diplomatic vehicles arriving at the private aviation section.
The report stated that airport officials cordoned off the area, while video footage later obtained by the news organisation showed a medical evacuation aircraft and its crew preparing to transport a passenger.
The circumstances surrounding the operation initially led the organisation to suspect that the passenger was the reported Ebola index patient.
A source also reportedly indicated that the Federal Government would announce the evacuation after the aircraft had taken off and exited Nigerian airspace.
The reported evacuation has drawn attention to the need for clear official communication regarding the patient’s medical condition, the circumstances of the evacuation and the measures being taken to protect public health.
However, details concerning the patient’s diagnosis, the precise circumstances of the evacuation and the medical arrangements in Switzerland should be guided by official statements from the Federal Government and relevant health authorities.
Further clarification from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) would also be important in establishing the public health implications of the development and addressing concerns surrounding the reported case.
The development remains subject to further official clarification on the patient’s condition and the response to the reported Ebola case.