Nigeria has intensified monitoring and screening at all points of entry in response to the latest outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where at least 28 suspected cases and 16 deaths have been recorded.
Dr Akpan Nse, Director of Port Health Services at the Federal Ministry of Health, told Saturday PUNCH that additional staff had been deployed with World Health Organization (WHO) support to reinforce surveillance at airports, land borders and seaports.
“Every inbound traveller from Congo is thoroughly screened, and we collect their medical history through mandatory forms,” Nse said. “Even passengers who merely transit through Congo on their way to Nigeria must undergo screening.”
Thermal scanners at airports have been kept operational with support from private partners, while health teams have reactivated screening portals nationwide.
The Ebola outbreak was confirmed on 3 September after tests carried out at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa identified the Zaire strain, the most lethal form of the virus. Kasai Province, the epicentre of the current outbreak, has seen previous flare-ups in 2007 and 2008. This marks the DRC’s 16th Ebola outbreak since the disease was first identified in 1976.
WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency had already deployed staff to the region, with more expected to arrive in the coming days. The organisation has also released $500,000 in emergency funding, delivered medical supplies and activated 2,000 prepositioned doses of Ebola vaccine in Kinshasa for use among contacts and frontline health workers.
Nigerian experts have urged vigilance. Dr Oladipo Kolawole, associate professor of infectious diseases at Adeleke University, warned against complacency: “Everybody coming into the country, especially from DR Congo, must declare where they are coming from. Our surveillance system must remain tight.”
Dr Moses Adewumi, a virologist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, emphasised the need for “early detection” at points of entry to prevent community spread. Meanwhile, Dr Iorhen Akase of Lagos University Teaching Hospital highlighted the importance of community vigilance: “If you have somebody in your community who is ill, let them go to the hospital. Anybody who is symptomatic should be checked.”
The outbreak comes amid overlapping health emergencies across central and west Africa, including cholera, malnutrition and population displacement — heightening fears of strain on already stretched public health systems.
