Ebola virus surveillance ongoing in Nigeria — NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said surveillance for Ebola virus disease is ongoing in Nigeria following the announcement of the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Uganda on January 30th, 2025.

In a telephone interview with the Tribune Online, Mr Sani Datti, head of corporate communications at NCDC, said this began over two weeks ago, when NCDC also issued an advisory signed by Dr. Jide Idris, the director general of NCDC.

Datti stated that there is no case of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria, but the NCDC, in collaboration with relevant ministries, departments, agencies, and partners through the National Emerging Viral Hemorrhagic Diseases (EVHD) Technical Working Group, continues to monitor disease occurrence and has initiated measures to strengthen our preparedness in the country.

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In addition, part of the country’s preparedness includes the update of our Ebola Viral Diseases (EVD) emergency contingency plan, heightened surveillance, especially at the points of entry, and optimising diagnostic capacity for EVD testing in designated laboratories in cities with international airports of entry and the National Reference Laboratory.

DG of NCDC, Dr Aina, in the advisory said, “A moderate risk classification indicates that EVD, without mitigation, is likely to occur in Nigeria, with potential for significant public health consequences. So, we need to take the necessary precautions.”

He declared that approved vaccines for Zaire species (EBV) of the Ebola virus are not available in Nigeria but can be obtained from the WHO Afro, although they do not protect against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Uganda.

Aina, however, said early recognition, isolation of patients, and initiation of supportive treatment, implementing infection and control measures in health facilities and homes, tracing and monitoring of contacts, and safe burial practices significantly reduce morbidity and the probability of death.

He urged Nigerians to practice good hand hygiene, avoid physical contact with anyone who has symptoms of an infection with an unknown diagnosis, avoid the consumption of bushmeat, avoid direct contact with the blood, saliva, vomit, urine, and other bodily fluids of suspected or confirmed EVD cases and individuals experiencing symptoms of EVD, and call 6232 or their State Ministry of Health hotline immediately for guidance.

Adio cautioned healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for EVD in their encounters with their patients and in the management of a suspected or confirmed case of EVD, ensuring strict isolation of the patient, adhering strictly to infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, and reporting suspected cases immediately to the NCDC or State Ministry of Health for appropriate response and management.

NCDC also advised Nigerian citizens and residents to avoid all but essential travel to countries with confirmed cases of the Ebola Virus Disease and persons already in Nigeria but with recent travel history to or transit through countries with Ebola cases in the last 21 days who experience its symptoms to call 6232 promptly or State Ministry of Health hotlines for assessment and testing.

Symptoms of Ebola Virus Disease include fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhoea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.

There are 5 distinct species of the virus: Bundibugyo, Zaire (the most fatal of all the five strains and responsible for the most EVD outbreaks, including the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa), Reston, Tai Forest, and the Sudan (accountable for the outbreak in Uganda).