The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has placed several states across the country on high Ebola preparedness alert following renewed outbreaks of the deadly virus in parts of Africa.
Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, stressing that Nigeria had not recorded any confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease linked to the current outbreak.
According to Idris, the World Health Organization’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, alongside rising Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, has made it necessary for Nigeria to strengthen surveillance and emergency preparedness nationwide.
He explained that the NCDC conducted a fresh risk assessment which showed that Nigeria faces a high risk of importing the disease due to increased international travel and regional population movement.
The NCDC boss noted that the similarity between Ebola symptoms and common illnesses such as malaria and Lassa fever could delay early detection of cases if adequate vigilance is not maintained.
He said all states and the Federal Capital Territory had been directed to sustain Ebola preparedness measures, although response strategies would vary depending on each state’s level of risk.
States classified as high-risk include Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa, mainly because of international airports, porous borders, and active commercial and travel routes.
Idris also listed Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia, and Bayelsa as moderate-risk states requiring continued preparedness efforts.
He warned that the regional outbreak poses serious implications for Nigeria, particularly as there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus responsible for the outbreak.
According to him, health authorities in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have so far recorded 1,077 suspected Ebola cases and 247 deaths, with people between the ages of 14 and 45 mostly affected.
“The current outbreak strain has no licensed vaccine or approved targeted therapeutics, making rapid public health interventions essential,” Idris stated.
He explained that effective outbreak control depends on early detection, immediate isolation of suspected cases, strict infection prevention measures, contact tracing, safe burials, community engagement, and strong surveillance systems.
The NCDC Director-General further revealed that suspected Ebola cases had also been reported in India, while Canada recently suspended travel applications from residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan due to the outbreak.
He clarified that Ebola is not airborne and can only spread through direct contact with infected blood, body fluids, contaminated materials, or infected animals.
Idris said the virus has an incubation period of between two and 21 days, adding that recent travel history and exposure within the previous three weeks remain important in assessing suspected cases.
He listed early symptoms of Ebola to include fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rash, unexplained bleeding, bruising, and shock.
The NCDC boss urged health workers not to wait for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in patients with compatible symptoms and relevant travel or exposure histories.
He disclosed that the NCDC has activated its national Emergency Operations Centre in alert mode to coordinate preparedness activities with federal and state authorities.
Idris directed state governments and Commissioners for Health to ensure immediate readiness across both public and private health facilities to detect and manage suspected Ebola cases effectively.
He also called for intensified surveillance at airports, seaports, land borders, transport hubs, and migrant corridors while urging the public to remain calm and rely only on verified information.
The NCDC further instructed states to submit readiness reports within 72 hours and immediately report any suspected Ebola case, unusual disease cluster, or major preparedness gap to the agency.
