The World Health Organization’s updated recommendations for countries to prepare for the Ebola outbreak have put Nigeria’s readiness in focus. The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has entered its fourth month, with over 5,200 cases recorded, making it the country’s fastest-growing outbreak.
Although no case has been reported in Nigeria, the nation’s hectic airports, busy seaports and permeable land frontiers require that readiness measures begin before any infected passenger is identified.
Preparing for the Worst
After the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations convened for its second session, the World Health Organization released fresh provisional guidance on 24 August. It judged the health hazard in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be “very high” and classified the danger in nine adjacent nations as “high”.
While Nigeria is placed in the WHO’s low-risk group, the organization urges national officials to have capacity to identify, evaluate and care for entrants who present with fever of unknown origin. Each state should pinpoint labs that can run Bundibugyo virus tests and secure isolation units where potential cases can be examined and treated securely.
Public health officials must also give incoming passengers from the affected zones guidance on actions to take should symptoms appear within the 21-day maximum incubation window for Ebola.
The agency further asks governments to arrange evacuation or return of citizens, health personnel included, who could become exposed while assisting the DRC response.
Nigeria’s Risk Assessment
Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has classified its threat level as high. In May, the NCDC listed factors such as global travel, cross-border population flows, large airports and ports, unofficial border passages and commercial routes as reasons the disease could be imported into the country.
The NCDC subsequently activated its national Emergency Operations Centre in alert mode and asked all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to strengthen their preparedness.
States were instructed to locate at least one operational isolation center, set up secure referral routes and ambulances, train frontline personnel, ensure stocks of personal protective gear, and enhance monitoring at transport hubs and entry points.
The NCDC asked public and private health facilities to ensure that suspected patients can be separated safely and reported immediately. It warned health workers not to wait for unexplained bleeding before considering Ebola in someone with compatible symptoms and a relevant travel or exposure history.
Transmission of the Bundibugyo virus occurs only via direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person; it is not spread through the air.
Early detection, rapid isolation, contact tracing, infection prevention, supportive treatment, and safe burials remain central to the response. The WHO is not recommending the suspension of flights or the denial of entry to travelers coming from the DRC, instead asking countries to use targeted health measures.
In the DRC, the situation remains severe, with conflict, population displacement, attacks on health facilities, and community distrust complicating the response. This suggests that many patients are still being detected late or are unable or unwilling to reach treatment facilities.
Preparedness Measures
Nigeria has already taken steps to prepare for a possible outbreak, with the NCDC activating its national Emergency Operations Centre in alert mode.
