By Our reporter 25.5.2026
Following outbreaks of Ebola in Congo Democratic Republic and Uganda, Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said there is a possibility of the deadly disease spreading to the country, due to high rate of cross-border travelling done by Nigerians.
To this end according to the NCDC, the national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been placed on alert mode, while the incident management system has also been activated to strengthen national coordination and outbreak response capacity.
“This assessment estimated the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as high due to the ongoing transmission in the DRC and Uganda, international travel and population movement, uncertainty regarding the full magnitude of the outbreak, and the potential for delayed recognition because symptoms may overlap with endemic diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever,” NCDC director-general, Jide Idris, said in a statement.
The agency disclosed that several states have already been identified as vulnerable because of their proximity to land borders, major transport corridors, and international entry points.
The agency added that Nigeria still retains critical structures and expertise developed from previous responses to Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic diseases.
“It also must be noted that Nigeria maintains important response capacities, including laboratory capability, trained rapid response teams, functional emergency operations centres (EOCs), established Viral hemorrhagic fever preparedness structures, and prior experience in successfully responding to Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks,” the statement added.
“Epidemiologists and rapid response teams (RRTs) are also on alert for rapid deployment to any affected state, if required.”
