Nigeria faces heightened Ebola risk from DR Congo, Uganda, says NCDC
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of an Ebola outbreak due to the ongoing spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, coupled with increased cross-border movement and international travel.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, said the agency’s latest risk assessment indicated a significant likelihood of Ebola being imported into the country.
According to him, the risk is heightened by continued transmission of the disease in the DRC and Uganda, population movement across borders, uncertainty surrounding the scale of the outbreak and the possibility of delayed detection because Ebola symptoms may resemble those of malaria and Lassa fever.
“This assessment estimated the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as high due to the ongoing transmission in the DRC and Uganda, international travel and population movement, uncertainty regarding the full magnitude of the outbreak, and the potential for delayed recognition because symptoms may overlap with endemic diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever,” the statement said.
The NCDC disclosed that states considered vulnerable due to their proximity to borders, transport routes and international entry points had already been identified for intensified surveillance and preparedness activities.
The agency also revealed that Nigeria’s national Emergency Operations Centre had been placed on alert mode, while its incident management system had been activated to strengthen coordination in the event of an outbreak.
It added that the country still retains vital response structures built from previous outbreaks, including trained rapid response teams, laboratory systems, emergency operations centres and viral haemorrhagic fever preparedness frameworks.
The agency, further stated that no case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has been recorded in Nigeria, adding that it has intensified preparedness and surveillance measures to prevent any possible outbreak.
