A woman infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus is receiving treatment in Switzerland after being medically evacuated from Nigeria alongside her husband, who is being isolated as a close contact.
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health confirmed on Monday, October 26, 2026, that the woman had been admitted to Geneva University Hospitals, while her husband was placed in isolation at University Hospital Zurich.
The couple, both Swiss citizens, arrived in Switzerland aboard a medical evacuation flight from Nigeria, where the woman had been receiving care.
Swiss authorities said the two hospitals were equipped to manage Ebola cases, with specialised isolation facilities and trained medical personnel to protect healthcare workers and other patients.
The Federal Office of Public Health assured the public that the situation posed no risk to the wider population in Switzerland, adding that it was coordinating with the hospitals and relevant cantonal authorities to manage the case.
The two hospitals have served as Switzerland’s reference centres for highly infectious diseases since 2019 and have the infrastructure required to treat patients with Ebola and other serious infections.
In a telephone conversation with Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, Swiss Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider expressed appreciation for the care provided by Nigerian health professionals and the cooperation between the two countries that enabled the evacuation.
Pate also thanked the clinical and public health teams in Nigeria and Switzerland, alongside the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and the World Health Organization, for their role in coordinating the response.
He said contact monitoring, investigations into reported alerts and other containment measures were continuing in Nigeria, with support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
The Nigerian health minister said further updates would be provided through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Ministry of Health.
The Bundibugyo virus is one of the species of Ebola virus that causes Ebola disease, a severe illness that can be fatal. Transmission occurs through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who is symptomatic, or with contaminated materials.
Health authorities continue to emphasise early detection, isolation of suspected cases, contact tracing and infection prevention measures to limit transmission.
The Swiss authorities said the medical teams were prepared to manage the two individuals while ensuring the safety of staff and other patients. The patient’s condition and further details of the ongoing response were not provided in the statement.
