The Federal Government has intensified nationwide surveillance and emergency preparedness measures against Ebola Virus Disease following the growing outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed this in a fresh public health advisory issued on Saturday by its Director-General, Jide Idris.
According to the agency, Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed Ebola case linked to the current outbreaks in East and Central Africa, but warned that the risk of the disease being imported into the country remains high due to increased international travel, cross-border movement and the scale of transmission in affected countries.
The NCDC said its latest risk assessment identified border communities, international airports, transport hubs and other entry points as high-risk areas requiring enhanced monitoring and rapid response systems.
“This assessment estimated the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as high due to the ongoing transmission in the DRC and Uganda, international travel and population movement, uncertainty regarding the full magnitude of the outbreak, and the potential for delayed recognition because symptoms may overlap with endemic diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever,” the agency stated.
As part of its response, the NCDC revealed that the National Emergency Operations Centre has been placed on alert mode, while the National Incident Management System has been activated to strengthen coordination and reporting across the country.
The agency also said Rapid Response Teams and epidemiologists have been placed on standby for possible deployment to any state if the need arises.
According to the advisory, surveillance and epidemic intelligence activities have been intensified nationwide, including the monitoring of unusual public health events, rumours and alerts to ensure early detection of suspected cases.
“Enhanced surveillance activities are also ongoing at points of entry and border communities,” the statement added.
The NCDC said it is working closely with state Ministries of Health, Port Health Services and other government agencies to improve preparedness and strengthen the country’s response capacity.
The agency further disclosed that Ebola preparedness tools and checklists have already been distributed to healthcare facilities nationwide, while refresher training programmes are ongoing for health workers on infection prevention, triage systems and early identification of suspected viral haemorrhagic fever cases.
States have also been advised to identify isolation and treatment centres, evaluate bed capacity, improve logistics systems and ensure the availability of emergency medical supplies.
The public health agency noted that plans are underway to preposition critical response materials such as personal protective equipment, body bags, laboratory consumables and other emergency supplies in strategic locations across the country.
On laboratory preparedness, the NCDC said Nigeria currently maintains Ebola testing capability in states with international ports of entry and within the national public health laboratory network, adding that additional surge testing capacity remains available if necessary.
The agency also cautioned Nigerians against misinformation and fake claims surrounding Ebola, revealing that it has launched awareness campaigns and developed “Ebola Myths and Facts” materials to counter false narratives circulating online.
Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often deadly illness transmitted through direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or contaminated materials. Common symptoms include fever, weakness, headache, muscle pain and fatigue.
Read Also:
Oyo Kidnap Carried Out by Displaced Terrorists, DHQ Clarifies
Health experts emphasise that the disease does not spread through the air.
Nigeria’s latest alert has revived memories of the country’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014 after an infected Liberian-American diplomat, Patrick Sawyer, arrived in Lagos from Liberia.
The outbreak resulted in 20 confirmed cases and eight deaths before Nigerian health authorities successfully halted further transmission through aggressive contact tracing, isolation measures and public awareness campaigns.
Nigeria’s response at the time received global recognition from the World Health Organization and has since been regarded as one of Africa’s most successful epidemic containment efforts.
The current concern follows renewed Ebola outbreaks in parts of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where health authorities continue to battle recurring viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks amid weak healthcare systems and cross-border movement.
Public health experts have repeatedly warned that increasing global travel and porous borders continue to pose major risks for African countries despite improvements in disease surveillance systems after the COVID-19 pandemic and previous outbreaks of Ebola, monkeypox and Lassa fever.
