Nigeria faces Ebola threat from cross-border movement, int’l travel – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of an Ebola outbreak due to the ongoing spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, coupled with increased cross-border movement and international travel. Although no case has been confirmed in Nigeria, the […]

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of an Ebola outbreak due to the ongoing spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, coupled with increased cross-border movement and international travel.

Although no case has been confirmed in Nigeria, the agency said it has intensified preparedness measures amid concerns over the regional spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

In a statement on Sunday, the Director-General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, said the agency’s latest risk assessment showed a significant likelihood of the virus being imported into Nigeria.

He said factors responsible for the high risk include continued transmission in the DRC and Uganda, population movement, international travel, uncertainty surrounding the full scale of the outbreak, and the possibility of delayed detection because Ebola symptoms resemble those of malaria and Lassa fever.

The agency said it had identified states considered vulnerable due to their proximity to borders, major transport routes and international entry points.

NCDC added that response activities were already ongoing in affected areas in the DRC and Uganda, including surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention, laboratory testing and public awareness campaigns.

The agency disclosed that Nigeria’s National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) had been placed on alert mode, while the incident management system had been activated to strengthen coordination and response efforts in the event of an outbreak.

It noted that Nigeria still retains critical response capacities developed from previous outbreaks, including trained rapid response teams, functional emergency operations centres and laboratories capable of handling viral haemorrhagic diseases.

The NCDC also said laboratories in states with international entry points had been placed on standby, while public awareness campaigns and misinformation management efforts had been intensified to counter false claims about the disease.