First confirmed Ebola patient in Nigeria evacuated to Switzerland

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Swiss woman being treated for Ebola in Nigeria was medically evacuated to Switzerland with her husband Monday, officials said, as Nigerian authorities continued monitoring 52 people who had been in contact with her.

Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Pate said the woman, the country’s first case in the current outbreak, left the capital, Abuja, early Monday with his approval. Her condition had improved significantly, and she was stable, conscious and able to communicate, he said.

“This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” Pate wrote on X. Her husband, a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria, has shown no symptoms.

Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health said the couple arrived Monday on a medical evacuation flight. The woman was being treated at Geneva University Hospital, while her husband was in isolation at Zurich University Hospital. The agency said both hospitals were equipped to care for them and that there was no risk to the Swiss public.

The World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said the evacuation was arranged because the couple are Swiss citizens and that Nigerian medical teams had stabilized the woman after treating her through the acute phase of the illness.

Nigeria will continue monitoring 52 other contacts, Janabi said.

“With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases,” he said, stressing that vigilance remained critical.

Pate said containment measures remained in place and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant.

The woman tested positive after returning to Abuja from Uganda. Nigerian authorities said Friday they had yet to establish how she contracted the virus.

Switzerland’s foreign ministry told The Associated Press last week that she had not visited Congo and was believed to have been infected while traveling to Uganda with her husband.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the first patients in Nigeria and Kenya had both traveled through Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on Oct. 3. Uganda had previously reported Ebola cases but later declared itself free of the virus.

Kenya has recorded nine cases, including two deaths, since confirming its first case earlier this month.

On Monday, Kenya released 20 people from quarantine following their exposure to the virus as contacts of the country's first case, while 98 others were expected to be released starting next Tuesday.

“Each of the 20 contacts was assessed against the release criteria, including 21 days without any symptoms since their last exposure,” the Kenyan Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The spread of Ebola beyond Congo has heightened longstanding fears among health authorities about the rapid transmission of the rare Bundibugyo virus.

The latest figures from Congo’s health ministry show more than 9,900 cases, including more than 4,800 deaths, since the outbreak began in May.

The WHO has said the outbreak is the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record and is on track to surpass the death toll of the deadliest: West Africa’s 2014-2016 outbreak, which killed 11,000 people. Nigeria was among the countries affected, recording 20 cases before its outbreak was declared over after three months.

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Evelyne Musambi contributed from Nairobi, Kenya.

A patient who is suspected to have Ebola is transferred in a isolation unit from a rescue aircraft to a rescue helicopter of Swiss Air Rescue (Rega) at Zurich Airport on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland.(Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

A patient who is suspected to have Ebola is transferred in a isolation unit from a rescue aircraft to a rescue helicopter of Swiss Air Rescue (Rega) at Zurich Airport on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland.(Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

A patient who is suspected to have Ebola is transferred in a isolation unit from a rescue aircraft to a rescue helicopter of Swiss Air Rescue (Rega) at Zurich Airport on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland.(Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

A patient is being transferred in a isolation unit from a rescue aircraft to a rescue helicopter of Swiss Air Rescue at Zurich Airport on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

A woman walks past the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

A man sells newspapers in Abuja, Nigeria Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 26, 2026--

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Amazon Ads have teamed up to launch “Open to Fun” - an immersive, multi-channel campaign to celebrate the theatrical release of the new full-length animated feature, The Cat in the Hat, arriving in theaters November 6. Developed by Brand Innovation Lab, the creative team within Amazon Ads, the activation brings Dr. Seuss's iconic character off the page and into the daily lives of millions of customers through a dedicated Amazon Brand Store Page, custom Alexa experiences, placements spanning Prime Video, IMDb, Twitch, and Alexa - and an original interactive mini game. The mini game lets customers tilt their mobile device to catch the mischievous Things in a fast-paced challenge featuring in-game voice lines from Hader himself.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261026228801/en/

The Cat's New Playground

The campaign's custom Brand Store Page on Amazon, running through November 8, serves as the central hub, featuring exclusive film content, trailers, and a direct path to purchase tickets on both desktop and mobile.

The page also features an original interactive mini game in which customers tilt their mobile device to catch the Things before time runs out. Built by Brand Innovation Lab using animations provided directly by Warner Bros. Pictures, the experience includes a "How to Play" overlay, a three-second countdown, and a 10-second warning as the clock winds down. Successfully catching a Thing triggers a glowing box animation and a satisfying score pulse; missing one triggers a brief visual cue that keeps the tone fun and playful.

At the end of each round, players see a results screen with the option to share their score or play again - creating a loop of engagement and social amplification. The game is accessible via QR code on desktop.

The in-game voice lines are performed by Hader, bringing the Cat's irreverent personality directly into the gameplay.

Bill Hader Voices Two Alexa Experiences

Two Alexa Branded Moments invite customers to interact with the Cat through their smart speakers and screens:

Both experiences extend Hader's performance beyond the film and into customers' homes, supported by Alexa audio ads and home screen placements throughout the campaign.

A Full-Funnel Campaign Across Amazon

The "Open to Fun" campaign reaches audiences across Amazon's properties - including Prime Video ads, IMDb placements, Twitch livestream integrations, and Amazon homepage and Top of Search placements - building momentum through a carefully sequenced media plan that crescendos in the days leading up to the November 6 premiere.

"'Open to Fun' is a perfect example of a 'surprise and delight' campaign the Brand Innovation Lab team loves to create: transforming beloved cultural IP into an engaging pan-Amazon experience customers can discover, interact with, and share," saidLauren Anderson, US Head of Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab.

The "Open to Fun" mini game is available now on the Amazon Brand Store. Customers can play, hear Bill Hader's voice lines, and share their scores with friends.

About The Cat in the Hat

Meet the Cat in the Hat you don’t know! In the wonderfully whimsical tradition of Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat comes to the big screen in his animated theatrical feature film debut, an all-new, epic adventure with an edge, where mischief, magic and mayhem reign supreme. Doing what he does best, the Cat—voiced by Bill Hader—spreads joy to kids in his hilarious, signature and singularly irreverent way, transporting them and audiences on a fantastical journey through a world they’ve never seen before.

In the film, our hero takes on his toughest assignment yet for the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC): to cheer Gabby and Sebastian, a pair of siblings struggling with their move to a new town. Known for taking things too far, this could be this agent of chaos’s last chance to prove himself...or lose his magical hat!

Starring alongside Hader are Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Xochitl Gomez, with Giancarlo Esposito, and America Ferrera. Tituss Burgess, Bowen Yang, Paula Pell and Tiago Martinez also star.

The Cat in the Hat is directed by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni from their own screenplay, screen story by Caroline Williams, based on the book by Dr. Seuss. It is produced by Daniela Mazzucato and Jared Stern. The executive producers are Bill Hader, Susan Brandt, Bill Damaschke, Kelly Marcel and Steve Zissis, Tim Story and Alex Timbers. It is edited by Dan Molina, with music by Lorne Balfe.

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s first full-length feature film, The Cat in the Hat, comes to theaters and IMAX® across North America on November 6, 2026, and internationally beginning 4 November 2026. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

About Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab

Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab is a global team of strategists, creatives, solutions managers, and technologists who show brands what's possible when they think big. The team transforms bold ideas into custom experiences that come to life across Amazon—including Prime Video, Amazon Music, Twitch, Alexa, Fire TV, the Amazon store, and beyond. The team works with brands across all categories, whether they sell on Amazon or not, creating one-of-a-kind advertising experiences by leveraging Amazon's unique touchpoints. Learn more here.

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Amazon Ads “Open to Fun” campaign

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Amazon Ads “Open to Fun” campaign