Ebola: Suspected Index Patient Reportedly Evacuated From Nigeria

A woman reportedly identified as Nigeria’s Ebola index patient has left the country aboard an air ambulance, according to a report by ARISE News.

The reported evacuation took place early Monday at the private aviation section of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

ARISE News said sources had earlier informed the organisation that the woman, reportedly the wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria, would leave the country at about 6 a.m.

Its crew, stationed at the airport’s General Aviation Terminal, reportedly observed a convoy of ambulances and diplomatic vehicles arriving at the private aviation section.

Airport officials subsequently cordoned off the area, according to the report.

The news organisation also said it obtained video footage showing a medical evacuation aircraft and its crew preparing to transport a passenger.

These developments prompted the organisation to suspect that the passenger was the woman reportedly identified as the Ebola index patient.

The report further quoted a source as saying the Federal Government planned to announce the evacuation after the aircraft had taken off and left Nigerian airspace.

However, the report did not provide official confirmation of the passenger’s identity, medical condition or destination.

Neither the Federal Government nor the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had confirmed those details in the report. Airport authorities also did not officially establish the circumstances surrounding the reported departure.

The identity of the passenger and the reason for the reported medical evacuation therefore remain unverified pending an official statement from the relevant authorities.