The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has assured the public that no confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease have been recorded within the country, moving swiftly to calm anxieties following a major international health declaration. The reassurance follows the World Health Organisation’s decision to designate a rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak in Central Africa as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NCDC Director-General Jide Idris confirmed that the agency is closely monitoring the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The regional crisis is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, a variant that health officials warn is particularly dangerous because, unlike the more common Zaire strain, it currently has no approved vaccines or targeted treatments.
The outbreak has already caused significant devastation in eastern DR Congo’s Ituri Province, where officials have logged eighty suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, and nearly two hundred and fifty suspected infections across the health zones of Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu. The virus has also demonstrated its capacity for cross-border transmission, with Uganda recently confirming two unrelated cases, including one fatality, involving individuals traveling from the DRC.
In response to the growing regional threat, authorities in both the DRC and Uganda have activated emergency countermeasures, including enhanced contact tracing, laboratory testing, and heightened surveillance. Recognising that increased travel and movement across African borders elevate the risk of importation, the NCDC has simultaneously intensified Nigeria’s own domestic preparedness efforts.
Dr. Idris stated that the NCDC is working in direct tandem with key stakeholders, including the Port Health Service under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, to guarantee strict vigilance at all points of entry. The agency is currently reinforcing the national public health system by strengthening event-based surveillance, ensuring laboratory readiness, upgrading infection prevention protocols within healthcare facilities, and expanding community engagement campaigns nationwide.
Amid the heightened global alert, Nigerian health officials are urging citizens to remain calm and reject misinformation. The NCDC emphasised the importance of standard hygiene practices, advising the public to maintain frequent handwashing and strictly avoid contact with the bodily fluids of sick individuals, dead animals, or bushmeat from unknown sources.
Furthermore, the agency has instructed frontline healthcare workers across Nigeria to maintain a high index of suspicion. Medical personnel are advised to screen carefully for symptoms consistent with Ebola, particularly in patients with recent travel history to the affected Central African regions, while rigorously adhering to standard infection control measures. The NCDC concluded its directive by urging the public to immediately report any unusual illnesses to local health facilities and to rely exclusively on official channels for updates.
