Ebola Warning: NCDC Lists Lagos, Rivers, FCT As High-Risk Zones

According to Ireporter Online, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has raised concern over the risk of Ebola virus importation into the country, following ongoing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

The health agency identified Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa as high-risk states due to their status as major international travel hubs, trade routes, and border corridors. The NCDC explained that the classification was based on increased international movement, porous borders, population migration patterns, and uncertainties surrounding the full scale of the outbreak.

It further listed Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia, and Bayelsa as states with moderate risk exposure. The agency stressed that all states and the FCT must maintain preparedness measures, but with varying levels of urgency depending on their risk classification.

The Director-General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, disclosed this in a public health advisory issued in Abuja, noting that 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths had been reported in the DRC and Uganda, with a case fatality rate of 24.6 per cent. He added that individuals aged between 14 and 45 years remain the most affected demographic.

Idris also revealed that suspected cases had been reported in India, while Canada has temporarily suspended travel applications from residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan. Uganda, according to him, has also tightened border control measures in response to the outbreak.

He warned that there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, emphasizing that existing vaccines are primarily effective against the Zaire strain and may not provide protection against the current outbreak variant.

Although Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed case, Idris said risk assessments indicate a high possibility of importation due to international travel routes, regional movements, and similarities between early Ebola symptoms and other common diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever.

He stated that Nigeria has activated its National Emergency Operations Centre in alert mode to strengthen surveillance, coordination, and preparedness across federal and state levels. States have been urged to activate emergency response structures, improve screening at points of entry, ensure rapid detection and reporting, and designate isolation facilities for suspected cases.

Health authorities also emphasized strict infection prevention measures, contact tracing, safe burial practices, and community awareness as key strategies to prevent potential spread.