Nigeria activates emergency preparation measures amid fears that ebola could spread to the country

NIGERIA'S federal government has asked 21 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to activate emergency preparedness measures in response to the recent outbreak of ebola across Africa.

Earlier this month, there was a fresh outbreak of ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda and over recent weeks, the numbers have been rising. Amid fears that the disease could spread, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has decided to act by naming 21 states at risk placing them on heightened preparedness alert to prevent cross-border transmission.

NCDC director-general, Jide Idris, said Nigeria currently has no confirmed ebola case linked to the outbreak in East and Central Africa but warned that increasing regional transmission has significantly elevated the country’s importation risk. He added that Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa were classified as high-risk states due to international airports, porous land borders and active travel and trade routes.

Also, the NCDC listed Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia and Bayelsa as moderate-risk states requiring sustained surveillance and preparedness measures. Mr Idris said the classification followed a fresh dynamic risk assessment conducted by the agency in response to rising ebola cases in the DRC and Uganda.

He said the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern underscored the need for Nigeria to strengthen preparedness measures nationwide immediately. Mr Idris added: “The risk of ebola importation into Nigeria is high because of international travel, regional population movement, porous borders and extensive trade networks.”

Also, the NCDC warned that ebola symptoms closely resemble those of malaria and lassa fever, increasing the risk of delayed detection and possible transmission. According to the agency, health authorities in the DRC and Uganda have reported 1,077 suspected ebola cases and 247 deaths, with persons aged 14 to 45 years accounting for most infections.

Furthermore, the agency noted that the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the ebola virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or targeted treatments. Mr Idris said this makes rapid detection, isolation, contact tracing, infection prevention and supportive care critical to containing infections.

He stressed that ebola is not airborne and spreads mainly through direct contact with infected blood, body fluids, contaminated surfaces, or infected animals. Hence, the NCDC urged state governments to activate emergency preparedness mechanisms, strengthen surveillance at airports and border points, prepare isolation facilities and ensure frontline health workers receive adequate protection.

Thus the NCDC directed states to submit readiness reports within 72 hours and immediately report any suspected ebola case, unusual fever clusters, or high-risk exposure incidents. Nigeria successfully contained Ebola in 2014 after an infected Liberian-American traveller arrived in Lagos, triggering what became one of the country’s most significant public health emergencies in recent history.