Nigerian health authorities have classified Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Kano and several other states as high-risk areas for possible importation of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola Virus Disease amid an outbreak in Central Africa.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) issued the alert in a public health advisory to health commissioners across the country, following the World Health Organization’s declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
No cases have been recorded in Nigeria, but the NCDC said a joint risk assessment showed a high probability of importation due to regional transmission, international travel, porous borders and trade activities.
“The overall risk of importation of the disease into Nigeria has been assessed as HIGH due to increasing ongoing regional transmission, international travel, regional population movement, major airports, seaports, porous land borders, informal crossings and trade routes,” the agency stated.
The high-risk states include Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa, owing to their transport hubs, airports, seaports and border locations.
More than 1,000 suspected cases and 247 deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with a case fatality rate of about 24.6 percent.
The NCDC noted that the Bundibugyo strain currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, unlike the Zaire strain. It stressed that Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected body fluids and is not airborne.
“Health workers must not wait for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in any patient with compatible symptoms and relevant travel or exposure history,” the advisory warned.
The agency has activated its National Emergency Operations Centre in alert mode and urged all states, particularly high-risk ones, to strengthen surveillance, isolation facilities and rapid response capabilities.
