Nigeria has reportedly flown out the woman diagnosed with Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory via an air ambulance, ARISE News has reported.
The woman, identified in earlier reports as the wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria, was reportedly flown out of the country early on Monday through the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
ARISE News disclosed the development in a post on its X handle on Monday, saying the patient was evacuated aboard a medical evacuation aircraft.
The station said it had received information that the woman would be flown out of Nigeria by 6am, with a medical evacuation plane already waiting at the airport.
According to the report, its crew deployed to the General Aviation Terminal later observed a convoy of ambulances arriving from Abuja city centre, accompanied by diplomatic vehicles.
The report added that airport officials cordoned off the private jet section, but the station eventually obtained video footage showing a medical evacuation aircraft and crew preparing to evacuate the patient.
A source quoted by the station reportedly said the Federal Government would announce the evacuation after the aircraft had taken off and left Nigerian airspace.
However, the report did not include an official confirmation from the Federal Government or health authorities on the patient’s departure or destination as of the time of publication.
The development comes days after the Federal Government confirmed an Ebola case in the FCT on October 20.
The government had also announced that 44 contacts of the confirmed case had been identified as part of efforts to monitor possible exposure and prevent further transmission.
The reported evacuation comes amid heightened attention to the country’s preparedness and response to the Ebola case.
