Nigeria May Declare Ebola Outbreak Over in December, Minister Says

What changed

Nigeria’s health minister said the country may declare its Ebola outbreak over in December, if containment continues. He urged Nigerians to remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow updates from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Why it matters

December is now the response’s possible finish line, but it is not a confirmed deadline. The timing depends on whether containment holds; the number of cases, contacts and formal criteria for ending the outbreak have not been stated.

That makes the next phase less about a single announcement than about the quiet work behind it: contact tracing, official updates and the screening already ordered at Nigeria’s entry points. The government has also said large gatherings will remain unrestricted for now, so public life continues while health teams work toward the proposed endpoint.