Nigeria has no confirmed Ebola case, but NCDC is reviewing its preparedness as regional transmission raises the risk of importation.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has heightened surveillance and vigilance across the country after Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease, an Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
The development has raised concerns over the risk of international importation into Nigeria through travel and population movement, particularly as the case was linked to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
NCDC Director-General Jide Idris said there was no confirmed case of Ebola in Nigeria as of October 6, while the agency reviews the country’s risk and existing preparedness measures.
How the case reached Kenya
Kenya’s Ministry of Health said the patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC and became ill while there. He received treatment at several health facilities before travelling by road to Kampala, Uganda, and later flying to Nairobi on October 3.
After arriving in Nairobi, the patient was isolated and assessed at a hospital. Samples tested positive for Bundibugyo virus at both Kenya’s National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute. Despite supportive treatment, the patient died on October 5.
Kenyan authorities have since intensified contact tracing. WHO said 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers, had initially been identified, while authorities were also tracing passengers and crew members who travelled on the same flight. Kenya’s Ministry of Health later said the number of identified contacts had risen to 57, with follow-up and quarantine measures ongoing.
Why Nigeria is increasing surveillance
Idris said the movement of people between countries increases the possibility of an imported case reaching Nigeria, prompting the NCDC to review its preparedness measures in response to the latest regional development.
The agency said it has been monitoring the Ebola situation in the DRC and working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Port Health Services, state governments and other partners to strengthen Nigeria’s readiness.
The measures include early detection, isolation and referral of suspected cases, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, risk communication and measures to protect healthcare workers.
The NCDC has also conducted a national Ebola preparedness tabletop simulation exercise designed to test response arrangements and identify gaps that could affect the country’s ability to respond quickly to a case.
What Nigerians should do
The NCDC urged Nigerians to remain calm but vigilant, practise regular hand hygiene and avoid direct contact with the blood or body fluids of people who are ill.
It also advised people not to handle sick or dead wild animals or consume improperly prepared bushmeat. Nigerians who develop symptoms after travelling to an affected area or after contact with a suspected or confirmed case should seek medical attention promptly at a recognised health facility.
Healthcare workers have been advised to maintain a high index of suspicion when assessing patients with compatible symptoms, particularly where there is a relevant travel or exposure history within the preceding 21 days.
Ebola outbreak has regional implications
The latest development comes against the backdrop of an ongoing Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the DRC. WHO declared the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17, after confirming international spread and assessing the risk of further regional transmission. The declaration did not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency under the International Health Regulations.
WHO said Kenya had been on heightened alert since May and had screened more than 652,000 travellers and tested 267 suspected samples by October 6. The agency also said Kenya had trained nearly 5,000 health workers in Ebola prevention and management before the imported case was detected.
The WHO says the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak remains a serious regional health concern, with the DRC continuing to report transmission. Uganda, which had also recorded imported and locally acquired cases linked to the DRC outbreak, declared its latest outbreak over in August.
For Nigeria, the NCDC said preparedness measures would be adapted and strengthened as necessary while it continues to monitor developments in Kenya, the DRC and other affected countries.
The agency also pointed to Nigeria’s experience during the 2014 Ebola outbreak as a reminder of the importance of early detection and rapid response in preventing onward transmission.
For now, there is no confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria. But with an imported case now confirmed in Kenya, the NCDC says surveillance and preparedness remain critical as health authorities monitor the evolving regional situation.
