The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has raised concerns over the country’s preparedness for a possible Ebola outbreak, disclosing that Nigeria currently stands at about 59 per cent readiness. The warning comes amid renewed Ebola cases in parts of Africa, including Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

NCDC Flags Preparedness Gaps

The Director-General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, made the disclosure during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, noting that a recent nationwide assessment exposed significant gaps in Nigeria’s emergency response capacity.

He explained that the evaluation examined critical health systems, including isolation centres, emergency operations units, and available medical stockpiles needed in the event of an outbreak.

“Our latest assessment puts Nigeria’s preparedness level at about 59 per cent. But preparedness is dynamic; you can never be 100 per cent prepared because situations keep changing,” he said.

State and National Response Efforts

Idris said teams were deployed across the country to assess readiness levels in collaboration with state health authorities and provide guidance on urgent areas of improvement.

He noted that while some progress has been made, Nigeria is still not fully prepared to handle a major Ebola outbreak if it occurs.

“We sent advisers to work with state commissioners and assess their level of preparedness. We are looking at infrastructure, isolation facilities, emergency operations centres, and available stockpiles,” he said.

Border Security and Entry Point Concerns

A key concern raised by the NCDC is the vulnerability of Nigeria’s entry points, particularly airports and land borders, which remain potential routes for disease importation.

According to Idris, the Federal Ministry of Health has issued new protocols to strengthen screening and monitoring at points of entry.

“Our primary objective is to prevent the disease from entering Nigeria,” he said.

He added that states with international airports have been classified as high-risk areas due to increased travel flow.

Porous Borders Remain Major Challenge

Idris also warned that Nigeria’s porous land borders continue to pose a major risk, as many travellers enter the country through unofficial routes that are difficult to monitor.

“The biggest challenge remains our porous borders. Not everyone enters Nigeria by air. Many people travel across borders by road and through informal routes,” he said.

Health officials say ongoing surveillance and preparedness measures remain critical as the country works to strengthen its response systems against infectious disease threats.

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.