The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has placed Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Kano, Rivers and several other states on high Ebola preparedness alert following the classification of Nigeria’s risk of importing the Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease as “high.”
In a national public health advisory addressed to Commissioners for Health across the 36 states and the FCT, the NCDC warned that Nigeria must urgently strengthen surveillance, isolation capacity and infection prevention systems as the virus continues to spread across parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The agency said the World Health Organisation had already declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, adding that the development underscores the need for immediate nationwide readiness before any suspected case is detected in Nigeria.
Although Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed case, the NCDC said its Dynamic Risk Assessment, conducted with partners after the WHO declaration, showed that the country faces a high risk of importation due to regional transmission, international travel, porous land borders, informal crossings and trade routes across West and Central Africa.
According to the advisory, 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths have already been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with a case fatality rate as high as 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 activate full preparedness systems to ensure early detection, rapid containment and protection of healthcare workers.
“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,” it said.
The NCDC grouped states into three preparedness tiers based on exposure routes and likelihood of importation.
Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa were classified as high-risk states due to international airports, seaports, major trade corridors, porous borders and heavy population movement.
While all states are expected to maintain Ebola preparedness, the agency said high-risk states must scale up readiness more aggressively, especially in surveillance, laboratory preparedness and isolation capacity.
The advisory warned that the Bundibugyo strain currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, making early public health intervention the most effective defence.
It added that existing Ebola vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatments are mainly targeted at the Zaire strain and should not be relied upon for the current outbreak.
The agency explained that Ebola is not airborne but spreads through direct contact with blood, body fluids, contaminated materials or infected animals.
It urged health workers nationwide to maintain a high index of suspicion, warning that early symptoms may resemble malaria, Lassa fever and other common febrile illnesses.
“Health workers must not wait for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in any patient with compatible symptoms and relevant travel or exposure history,” the advisory warned.
Symptoms listed by the NCDC include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rash, hiccups, unexplained bleeding and signs of shock.
The agency confirmed that its National Emergency Operations Centre has been activated in alert mode to coordinate preparedness across federal and state levels, with emphasis on surveillance, infection prevention and control, case management, safe sample handling and risk communication.
It also directed state governments to ensure immediate operational readiness across public and private health facilities, including contact tracing systems, isolation centres and healthcare worker protection mechanisms.
According to the NCDC, preparedness efforts must prioritise early detection, immediate isolation, optimised supportive care, strict infection prevention and control, safe sample handling, contact tracing readiness and public communication.
The agency assured that it is working closely with states and development partners to strengthen national preparedness and prevent possible importation or community transmission of the virus.
It added that the classification of high-risk states is a critical step in Nigeria’s early warning system, but warned that sustained vigilance and funding will determine how effectively the country can contain any potential outbreak.
