The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has placed Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and eight other states on high Ebola alert following the outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo strain of Ebola Virus Disease in parts of East and Central Africa.
The agency warned that Nigeria faces an increased risk of importing the virus due to rising international travel, porous borders, and population movement across the region.
States identified as high-risk include Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa, largely because of their international airports, seaports, and border routes.
In a public health advisory issued to commissioners for health nationwide, the NCDC confirmed that no Ebola case has been recorded in Nigeria but stressed that the country remains at high risk.
“The immediate objective of our preparedness efforts is to ensure that every state and the FCT can detect, contain, and respond swiftly to any suspected case,” the agency stated.
According to the NCDC, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have already recorded 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths, representing a fatality rate of 24.6 percent.
The agency explained that the current outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is presently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
Health officials further warned that Ebola symptoms may initially resemble malaria, Lassa fever, and other common illnesses, making early detection difficult.
“Health workers must not wait for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in patients with compatible symptoms and relevant travel history,” the advisory added.
The NCDC clarified that Ebola is not airborne and spreads mainly through direct contact with infected blood, body fluids, contaminated materials, or infected animals.
As part of emergency response measures, the agency said its National Emergency Operations Centre has been activated in alert mode to coordinate preparedness efforts nationwide.
State governments have been directed to activate Ebola preparedness structures, identify isolation centres, strengthen surveillance at points of entry, and provide frontline health workers with protective equipment.
The renewed alert has revived memories of Nigeria’s successful containment of the virus during the 2014 Ebola outbreak after an infected Liberian-American traveller, Patrick Sawyer, arrived in Lagos.
The World Health Organisation later described Nigeria’s response as one of Africa’s most effective Ebola containment efforts.
The latest warning comes as the country continues to battle outbreaks of Lassa fever, cholera, and meningitis in several states, increasing pressure on the healthcare system.
The NCDC urged Nigerians to remain calm, avoid misinformation and fake cures, and promptly report suspected symptoms as surveillance intensifies across the country.
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