In response to a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Nigerian government has intensified screening and surveillance at all points of entry, deploying additional staff and reactivating health portals to prevent the virus’s importation.
ABUJA — The Nigerian government has activated enhanced surveillance and screening protocols at all national points of entry in response to a new Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has claimed at least 15 lives.
The presence of the Zaire strain was confirmed after a 34-year-old pregnant woman died from the virus in central Kasai province. The World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed rapid response teams and released 2,000 prepositioned vaccine doses to curb the spread.
The Director of Port Health Services, Dr. Akpan Nse, confirmed the nation’s proactive measures, stating: “We have intensified surveillance at all points of entry across the country—airports, land borders, and seaports. Every inbound traveller coming from Congo to Nigeria is thoroughly screened.” He added that additional staff had been recruited with WHO support to strengthen border surveillance and that thermal scanners at airports were operational.
Health experts across Nigeria have urged sustained vigilance. Infectious diseases specialist Oladipo Kolawole warned, “Everybody coming into the country, especially from DR Congo, must declare where they are coming from at the point of entry, and we must keep our surveillance system well-tightened.” He expressed confidence in the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) based on past experience but stressed the need for inter-agency coordination.
Virologist Dr. Moses Adewumi emphasized the critical need for strict adherence to travel protocols, noting, “We must be deliberate about monitoring points of entry, especially airports and land borders, so that no suspected case slips through undetected. Early detection is the key to prevention.”
The WHO has released $500,000 from its emergency fund to support the DRC’s response. Nigeria’s strategy mirrors its successful approach during the 2014 West African outbreak, focusing on preventing importation through rigorous port health measures while urging public awareness and prompt reporting of symptoms.