Ebola Outbreak: NCDC Issues High‑Alert Warning to States and Calls for Emergency Facility Readiness

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has urged states to prepare their facilities for a potential Ebola outbreak.

According to the centre’s assessment, the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria is high because of ongoing transmission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, international travel, population movement, and uncertainty about the outbreak’s full magnitude.

The alert was also deemed necessary because Ebola symptoms can resemble endemic illnesses such as malaria and Lassa fever, which could delay recognition.

A statement from the NCDC Communication Department advised states to activate surveillance and early detection protocols, establish referral pathways, ensure ambulance and patient transport systems are ready, and secure essential supplies for an Ebola response.

States were also told to integrate Ebola preparedness into existing readiness activities, including detection, reporting, and response efforts.

States are expected to conduct refresher training for healthcare workers on critical infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, triage systems, and enhanced monitoring of alerts, rumours, and unusual public health events to support early case management and treatment readiness.

The NCDC, which has previously assured Nigerians that enhanced surveillance is active at points of entry and border communities nationwide, noted that rapid response teams remain on steady alert.

The centre has also distributed Ebola IPC readiness tools and checklists to aid states in their preparedness activities.

Working with State Epidemiologists and Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNOs), the NCDC is assessing healthcare facilities across the country.

“We are also working on ensuring timely detection and reporting of suspected cases, designation of isolation and treatment centres, assessment of bed capacity, staffing, logistics, and clinical identification of suspected Viral Haemorrhagic Fever cases is also ongoing,” the NCDC said.

“NCDC and partners are mapping and preparing for prepositioning of critical response commodities, including PPEs, IPC supplies, body bags, laboratory consumables, and emergency medical supplies in designated isolation and treatment centres, assessment of bed capacity, staffing, logistics, clinical strategic locations.”