The Federal Government has identified 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory as areas facing high and moderate risks of Ebola importation following renewed outbreaks reported in parts of Africa.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed this on Thursday as it placed states across the country on heightened Ebola preparedness alert over fears of possible cross-border transmission.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, said Nigeria had not recorded any confirmed Ebola case linked to the ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa, but warned that the increasing spread within the region had raised concerns over possible importation.
According to the agency, Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa were categorised as high-risk states because of the presence of international airports, porous land borders, and active trade and travel routes.
The agency also listed Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia and Bayelsa as moderate-risk states requiring intensified surveillance and emergency preparedness.
Idris explained that the classification followed a fresh dynamic risk assessment carried out by the agency in response to the rising number of Ebola infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
He added that the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern highlighted the urgent need for Nigeria to strengthen its preparedness measures nationwide.
“The risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria is high because of international travel, regional population movement, porous borders, and extensive trade networks,” Idris said.
The NCDC warned that Ebola symptoms share similarities with malaria and Lassa fever, a situation it said could lead to delayed diagnosis and increase the risk of transmission.
According to the agency, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda have so far recorded 1,077 suspected Ebola cases and 247 deaths, with the majority of infections affecting persons between the ages of 14 and 45 years.
The agency noted that the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments.
Idris stressed that rapid detection, immediate isolation, contact tracing, infection prevention measures and supportive care remained critical in containing the disease.
He also clarified that Ebola is not airborne and spreads mainly through direct contact with infected blood, body fluids, contaminated surfaces or infected animals.
The NCDC urged state governments to activate emergency response mechanisms, strengthen surveillance at airports and border posts, prepare isolation centres and ensure adequate protection for frontline health workers.
The agency further directed states to submit readiness reports within 72 hours and immediately report any suspected Ebola case, unusual fever outbreak or high-risk exposure incident.
Nigeria successfully contained an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected Liberian-American traveller arrived in Lagos, triggering one of the country’s most serious public health emergencies.