NCDC flags 10 states as Ebola risk rises
Nigeria increases Ebola preparedness as regional outbreak spreads across parts of Central Africa.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has placed Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano, Rivers and six other states on high Ebola preparedness alert following rising concerns over the spread of the deadly Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease across parts of Central Africa.
In a nationwide public health advisory issued to Commissioners for Health in all 36 states and the FCT, the agency warned that Nigeria now faces a “high risk of importation” of the virus due to increasing regional transmission, international travel, porous borders and active trade routes connecting several African countries.
The warning comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the current outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), intensifying fears of possible international spread.
Although no confirmed Ebola case has been recorded in Nigeria, the NCDC said its latest Dynamic Risk Assessment, conducted alongside development partners after the WHO declaration, showed that the country remains highly vulnerable because of cross-border movement and international connectivity.
According to the agency, 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths have already been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with the outbreak recording a case fatality rate of up to 24.6 per cent.
“The overall risk of importation of the disease into Nigeria has been assessed as HIGH due to increasing ongoing regional transmission, international travel, regional population movement, major airports, seaports, porous land borders, informal crossings and trade routes,” the NCDC stated.
The agency directed all states and the FCT to immediately strengthen preparedness systems capable of detecting, isolating and responding rapidly to any suspected Ebola case before wider transmission occurs.
According to the advisory, the country has now been grouped into different preparedness tiers based on exposure risk, international travel routes, border activity and population movement patterns.
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States classified as high-risk include Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa due to the presence of international airports, seaports, major commercial corridors and porous border routes.
The NCDC said these states must intensify surveillance, laboratory readiness, emergency coordination systems, infection prevention measures and isolation capacity more aggressively than others.
“The immediate objective of our national preparedness and readiness efforts is to ensure that every state and the FCT can reasonably detect, contain and respond swiftly to any suspected case while protecting health workers and sustaining essential health services,” the agency said.
Health authorities also warned that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, making early detection and public health intervention critical to preventing outbreaks.
The renewed Ebola alert is likely to trigger increased screening and monitoring activities across airports, seaports and border communities as Nigeria attempts to avoid a repeat of previous outbreaks that placed immense pressure on the health system.
Nigeria earned global recognition for successfully containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak after recording just 20 cases and eight deaths despite the virus entering Africa’s largest city, Lagos, through international travel.
Public health experts, however, warn that increasing regional mobility, weak border controls and ongoing health system pressures continue to leave many African countries vulnerable to future outbreaks.
