The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of importing the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) from ongoing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, directing all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to activate immediate preparedness measures.

In a national public health advisory issued to commissioners for health across the country, the agency said the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, heightening the need for urgent preparedness in Nigeria.

The NCDC said that although Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed case of the outbreak, its dynamic risk assessment, conducted with partners, showed that the likelihood of importation remains high due to regional transmission, international travel, porous borders, trade routes, and overlapping symptoms with diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever.

According to the agency, a total of 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths have so far been reported in the DRC and Uganda, representing a case fatality rate of 24.6 per cent.

“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 advisory stated.

The agency disclosed that there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, noting that existing Ebola vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies are mainly targeted at the Zaire ebolavirus and should not be relied upon for the current outbreak.

It clarified that Ebola Virus Disease is not airborne, explaining that transmission occurs through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of infected persons, contaminated materials, or infected animals.

The NCDC urged health workers not to wait for bleeding symptoms before suspecting Ebola in patients presenting with fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, abdominal pain, or other compatible symptoms, especially where there is a relevant travel or exposure history within the previous 21 days.

The agency said it had activated its National Emergency Operations Centre in alert mode to coordinate preparedness activities with federal and state institutions.

It added that state governments must prioritise early detection, immediate isolation of suspected cases, strict infection prevention and control measures, safe sample handling, contact-tracing systems, risk communication, and workforce protection.

As part of its risk stratification, the NCDC classified Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa as high-risk states because of their international airports, seaports, porous borders, and major travel routes.

Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia, and Bayelsa were categorised as moderate-risk states, while all other states were placed under baseline preparedness.

The agency directed commissioners for health to activate state public health coordination structures, conduct rapid risk assessments, engage public and private health facilities, identify functional isolation centres, and strengthen infection prevention measures.

It also asked states to intensify surveillance at airports, seaports, land borders, and transport hubs, while ensuring that frontline workers are adequately protected with personal protective equipment and psychosocial support.

The NCDC further instructed states to submit readiness updates within 72 hours of receiving the advisory and to immediately notify the agency of any suspected case, unusual febrile cluster, or significant preparedness gap.

“States are requested to use this advisory to commence immediate preparedness actions while the supporting tools are distributed through the established incident coordination mechanisms,” the agency said.

The NCDC added that the successful containment of previous Ebola importations into Nigeria was achieved through early leadership, rapid coordination, disciplined contact tracing, strict infection prevention measures, and public trust.

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