The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has raised concern over the possible spread of Ebola into the country, placing Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano, Rivers and several other states on heightened surveillance after assessing Nigeria’s risk of importing the Bundibugyo strain as high.
In a nationwide public health advisory issued to health commissioners across all 36 states and the FCT, the agency warned that urgent steps are needed to reinforce disease surveillance, isolation facilities, and infection prevention systems, especially as outbreaks continue in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The alert follows the classification of the outbreak by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), a designation that signals increased global risk and the need for coordinated international response. According to the NCDC, this development makes proactive readiness essential even in the absence of any confirmed case in Nigeria.
Although Nigeria has not recorded any infection, the agency’s Dynamic Risk Assessment indicates a “high likelihood” of importation due to ongoing regional transmission, frequent cross-border movement, international travel, and Nigeria’s extensive network of airports, seaports, and porous land borders across West and Central Africa.
Data cited in the advisory shows that more than 1,000 suspected cases and over 200 deaths have already been reported in affected Central African countries, with a case fatality rate reaching nearly 25 percent.
The NCDC explained that Nigeria’s exposure is driven largely by population mobility, trade routes, and informal border crossings, all of which increase the chances of disease entry if containment fails at source countries.
To mitigate the threat, the agency directed all states and the FCT to immediately activate full preparedness structures capable of detecting, isolating, and responding quickly to any suspected case while ensuring the safety of healthcare workers.
States were also grouped into risk categories, with Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa identified as high-risk locations due to their international travel links, major transport hubs, and border proximity.
The NCDC emphasized that these states must scale up readiness measures faster than others, particularly in surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, and isolation centre readiness.
It further noted that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola currently has no approved vaccine or specific cure, making rapid detection and supportive care the most effective tools for response. Existing Ebola vaccines and treatments, it added, are mainly developed for other strains and may not provide protection against this outbreak.
Health authorities were also reminded that Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated materials, or infected animals, and not through airborne transmission.
Medical personnel across the country were urged to maintain a high level of suspicion, especially since early symptoms can easily be mistaken for malaria, Lassa fever, or other common febrile illnesses.
The advisory stressed that clinicians should not wait for severe signs such as bleeding before suspecting Ebola, particularly in patients with relevant travel history or exposure risks.
Common symptoms highlighted include fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rash, and in severe cases, unexplained bleeding and shock.
To coordinate preparedness efforts, the NCDC confirmed that its National Emergency Operations Centre has been placed on alert status, with active coordination ongoing across federal and state levels on surveillance, infection control, case management, safe sample handling, and risk communication.
State governments were further instructed to ensure that both public and private health facilities are fully prepared, including contact tracing systems, isolation units, and protective measures for healthcare workers.
The agency reassured Nigerians that it is working closely with development partners and state authorities to prevent any importation or local transmission of the virus, while maintaining continuous monitoring of the situation in affected regions.
It added that the classification of high-risk states is part of Nigeria’s early warning system, but warned that sustained funding, vigilance, and compliance will be critical in determining how effectively the country can respond to any potential outbreak.