The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has placed the country on heightened Ebola alert, warning that Nigeria faces a high risk of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, importation, amid worsening outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, and Uganda.
Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this in an emergency preparedness update issued weekend, revealing that although Nigeria had not recorded any confirmed Ebola case linked to the ongoing regional outbreak, authorities had activated nationwide surveillance and response mechanisms to prevent a possible outbreak.
The update followed increasing cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and the World Health Organisation’s declaration of a public health emergency of international concern, PHEIC.
The agency said its latest dynamic risk assessment identified international travel, population movement, porous borders, and delayed symptom recognition as major factors increasing Nigeria’s vulnerability.
“The assessment estimated the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as high due to ongoing transmission in the DRC and Uganda, international travel and population movement, uncertainty regarding the full magnitude of the outbreak, and possible delayed recognition because symptoms may overlap with malaria and Lassa fever,” the statement said.
The NCDC noted that high-risk states, border communities, transport hubs and points of entry had already been identified for intensified monitoring.
In response to the growing threat, the agency announced that the National Emergency Operations Centre, EOC, had been placed on alert mode, while the National Incident Management System, NIMS, had been activated to coordinate rapid national response efforts.
According to NCDC, Rapid Response Teams and epidemiologists across the country have also been placed on standby for immediate deployment to any state where a suspected case may emerge.
Travellers arriving from countries with confirmed Ebola cases were advised to monitor their health for 21 days and immediately report symptoms such as fever, weakness, vomiting or unexplained bleeding.
Healthcare workers were also warned to maintain a high index of suspicion and strictly comply with infection prevention protocols, including proper use of PPE and immediate isolation of suspected cases.
Reassuring Nigerians, NCDC emphasised that Ebola was not airborne and that the country currently had no confirmed case linked to the regional outbreak.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as necessary,” Dr. Idris stated.
Recall that Nigeria earned global commendation in 2014 for successfully containing Ebola after the virus was imported into the country through an infected traveller from Liberia.
