• The NCDC has placed Lagos, the FCT, and eight other states on high Ebola alert following the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain in East and Central Africa.
• High-risk states identified include Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, Adamawa, and the FCT due to airports, seaports, and border traffic.
• Nigerians have been urged to avoid panic, ignore fake cures, maintain hygiene, and report suspected symptoms early

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has placed Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, and eight other states on high Ebola alert following the outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola Virus Disease in parts of East and Central Africa.

In a nationwide public health advisory sent to state commissioners for health, the NCDC warned that Nigeria faces a significant risk of importing the virus because of rising regional transmission, increased international travel, porous borders, and population movement across the continent.

The agency identified Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa as high-risk locations due to the presence of international airports, seaports, border routes, and heavy human traffic.

“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,” the NCDC stated.

Although Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed Ebola case, the agency explained that a recent risk assessment carried out after the outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern revealed that the possibility of the virus entering Nigeria remains high.

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 per cent.

The outbreak has also sparked global concern, with suspected cases reportedly detected in India, while Canada has introduced temporary travel restrictions involving residents from Uganda, the DRC, and South Sudan.

Uganda has also reportedly tightened border control measures in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.

Health authorities noted that the Bundibugyo strain is particularly worrying because it differs from the Zaire strain of Ebola, which existing vaccines and antibody treatments mainly target.

“The current Bundibugyo virus outbreak has no licensed vaccines or approved targeted therapeutics,” the NCDC warned.

The agency further explained that Ebola symptoms may initially resemble malaria, Lassa fever, or other common illnesses, making early diagnosis more difficult.

“Health workers must not wait for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in any patient with compatible symptoms and relevant travel or exposure history,” the advisory added.

To strengthen preparedness efforts, the NCDC said its National Emergency Operations Centre had already been activated in alert mode to coordinate response activities across the country.

State governments were directed to immediately activate Ebola preparedness systems, identify isolation centres, intensify surveillance at airports and border points, provide personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, and begin aggressive public sensitisation campaigns to prevent panic and misinformation.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has assured residents that there are currently no confirmed or suspected Ebola cases in the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said there was no cause for alarm, noting that Lagos remained on high alert because of the outbreaks in Uganda and the DRC.

He explained that Lagos’ biosecurity architecture had remained fully operational and prepared to respond rapidly to any biological threat.

“The Lagos Biosecurity Bio-shield was built to protect and remains ready to respond to biological shocks. Preparedness for us is not a temporary reaction; it is a permanent culture embedded within our health system,” Abayomi said.

According to him, the state’s preparedness framework, first tested during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and later strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to support responses to diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, and Lassa fever.

Nigeria’s renewed Ebola alert has revived memories of the country’s successful containment of the virus in 2014 after an infected Liberian-American traveller, Patrick Sawyer, arrived in Lagos and exposed dozens of people before health authorities intervened.

Despite fears that the virus could spread rapidly in Africa’s most populous city, aggressive contact tracing, isolation measures, emergency coordination, and public awareness campaigns helped Nigeria contain the outbreak within months.

The World Health Organisation later described Nigeria’s response as one of Africa’s most effective Ebola containment efforts.

Health authorities are now urging Nigerians to remain calm, avoid rumours and fake cures, maintain proper hygiene, and promptly report suspected symptoms as nationwide surveillance intensifies.

UN releases $60m emergency fund as rare Ebola outbreak spreads across Central Africa

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the United Nations had approved up to $60 million in emergency funding to strengthen efforts to contain the growing Ebola outbreak linked to the rare Bundibugyo virus strain currently affecting parts of Central Africa.

The emergency intervention came just five days after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, raising concerns over the rapid spread of the disease and the absence of an approved vaccine or targeted treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.