The Federal Government has placed Rivers State and nine other high-risk locations across the country on heightened Ebola surveillance following the outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo strain of the virus in parts of East and Central Africa.
In a fresh public health advisory issued by the (NCDC), Rivers was listed among states considered particularly vulnerable because of intense human movement, international travel links, seaport activities and cross-border connectivity.
Other areas placed on alert include Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa.
The NCDC warned that although Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed Ebola case, the country faces a significant risk of importing the virus due to increasing transmission across parts of Africa and the movement of travellers through regional corridors.
Of particular concern to health authorities is the fact that the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, for which there is presently no approved vaccine or targeted treatment.
“The immediate objective of our national preparedness and readiness efforts is to ensure that every state and the FCT can reasonably detect, contain and respond swiftly to any suspected case while protecting health workers and sustaining essential health services,” the agency stated.
The agency disclosed that Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo had already recorded more than 1,000 suspected infections and hundreds of deaths linked to the outbreak, with a fatality rate estimated at 24.6 per cent.
The latest alert has placed renewed focus on Rivers State because of its strategic economic position, active maritime operations and constant inflow of travellers through oil and commercial activities.
Public health experts warned that states with major transport and commercial networks remain more exposed to infectious disease importation if surveillance systems are not aggressively strengthened.
The NCDC cautioned healthcare workers against relying solely on bleeding as an indicator of Ebola infection, noting that early symptoms could resemble malaria, Lassa fever and other common illnesses.
“Health workers must not wait for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in any patient with compatible symptoms and relevant travel or exposure history,” the advisory added.
As part of emergency preparedness measures, the agency said the National Emergency Operations Centre had already been activated in alert mode to coordinate nationwide surveillance and rapid response activities.
State governments, including Rivers, were directed to strengthen disease surveillance at airports, seaports and border points, designate isolation facilities, equip frontline medical personnel with protective gear and intensify public sensitisation campaigns to prevent panic and misinformation.
The development has revived memories of Nigeria’s successful containment of the Ebola outbreak in 2014 after infected Liberian-American traveller, , arrived in Lagos and exposed several persons before emergency containment measures were activated.
At the time, health authorities feared that Nigeria’s densely populated commercial centres, including Rivers State’s oil and maritime corridor, could become vulnerable transmission zones. However, aggressive contact tracing, isolation protocols and coordinated emergency response helped prevent a nationwide crisis.
The later described Nigeria’s response as one of Africa’s most successful Ebola containment efforts.
Health officials are now urging residents of Rivers State and other high-risk locations to remain calm, avoid misinformation, maintain proper hygiene practices and promptly report suspected symptoms as surveillance measures intensify nationwide.
