The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa as states facing high risk of Ebola importation following the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The agency said the classification was based on increased international travel, porous borders, regional population movement, and uncertainty surrounding the scale of the outbreak in affected countries.
NCDC Raises Fresh Ebola Alert
In a public health advisory issued on Thursday in Abuja, NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed that 1,077 suspected Ebola cases and 247 deaths had already been recorded in the DRC and Uganda.
According to him, the outbreak currently has a case fatality rate of up to 24.6 per cent, with the most affected age group between 14 and 45 years.
He added that suspected cases had also been reported in India, while Canada recently suspended travel applications from residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan over the outbreak.
Uganda has also reportedly announced border closure measures.
States Categorised By Risk Level
The NCDC explained that the high-risk states were identified because they serve as major trade and travel hubs with international airports, seaports, porous borders, and active ground crossings.
The agency also classified Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia, and Bayelsa as moderate-risk states.
It stressed that all states and the FCT must remain prepared for possible Ebola cases, but noted that preparedness levels should reflect each state’s specific risk exposure.
No Approved Vaccine For Current Ebola Strain
Idris stated that the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus disease, which currently has no licensed vaccine or approved targeted treatment.
“The current Bundibugyo virus outbreak has no licensed vaccines or approved targeted therapeutics,” he said.
He explained that existing Ebola vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatments were mainly designed for the Zaire ebolavirus strain and may not be effective against the current outbreak.
According to the NCDC boss, rapid detection, isolation, contact tracing, safe burials, surveillance, and aggressive supportive care remain the major tools for controlling the outbreak.
Nigeria Yet To Record Confirmed Case
Despite the alert, the NCDC confirmed that Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed Ebola case linked to the current outbreak.
However, the agency warned that the risk of importation remains high because of regional transmission, international travel, and similarities between Ebola symptoms and other diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever.
The agency said it had activated its National Emergency Operations Centre in alert mode to coordinate preparedness efforts nationwide.
States Asked To Activate Emergency Measures
The NCDC directed state governments and health commissioners to immediately strengthen preparedness across public and private health facilities.
States were asked to activate public health coordination systems, conduct rapid risk assessments around points of entry and densely populated areas, and ensure healthcare workers can quickly identify and report suspected cases.
The agency also instructed states to designate at least one functional isolation centre and establish proper referral systems for managing suspected Ebola patients safely.
The development comes amid growing concerns over regional disease outbreaks and cross-border health threats across West Africa.