Ebola alert: FG tightens airport, border screening

Deborah Tolu-Kolawole and Dirisu Yakubu

The Federal Government has intensified health screening at the country’s airports, seaports and land borders.

It also announced that travellers identified as high-risk or displaying symptoms associated with Ebola and other viral haemorrhagic fevers will be subjected to secondary screening, isolation and referral procedures.

The move comes amid growing concerns over the ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease in parts of East and Central Africa and forms part of a broader national preparedness strategy aimed at preventing the disease from entering Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, which was signed by the Assistant Director of Press and Public Relations, Ado Bako, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said there was currently no confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria but stressed that heightened preparedness measures had been activated nationwide to safeguard public health.

“The ministry wishes to reassure Nigerians that there is presently no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.

“However, in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening national health security and preventing cross-border disease transmission, heightened preparedness measures have been activated nationwide,” the ministry stated.

It said enhanced border surveillance remained a critical component of the government’s response, with health officials directed to strengthen screening and risk assessment procedures for all incoming travellers.

Among the measures announced were mandatory temperature checks using infrared thermal scanners and handheld thermometers, health declaration forms, travel history assessments and intensified risk profiling at designated points of entry.

The ministry said authorities had activated “enhanced traveller risk assessment and screening procedures at designated points of entry” and put in place “secondary screening, isolation, and referral mechanisms for travellers presenting symptoms consistent with viral haemorrhagic fevers.”

The development signals a return to heightened vigilance at Nigeria’s borders, reminiscent of measures adopted during previous public health emergencies, including the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic.

To strengthen disease detection beyond the nation’s borders, the ministry said surveillance systems had been reinforced across the country through enhanced Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response activities, community-based surveillance networks and active monitoring of public health alerts.

According to the statement, “Enhanced Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response activities nationwide” and “strengthened event-based and community-based surveillance systems” are currently ongoing to ensure early detection of any suspected case.

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The government also disclosed that Public Health Emergency Operations Centres had been activated, while Rapid Response Teams at national and sub-national levels had been placed on standby.

As part of efforts to prepare the healthcare system for a potential outbreak, hospitals and clinics were directed to strengthen infection prevention and control measures, improve triage systems and ensure prompt reporting of suspected cases.

“Healthcare facilities nationwide have also been advised to maintain a high index of suspicion for viral haemorrhagic fevers, strengthen triage systems, promptly isolate suspected cases, and adhere strictly to established reporting protocols,” the ministry said.

It urged Nigerians not to panic, stressing that the measures were precautionary and intended to ensure the country remained prepared for any eventuality.

It also advised members of the public to maintain regular hand hygiene, avoid direct contact with bodily fluids of symptomatic individuals, refrain from handling dead animals or bushmeat from unknown sources, and promptly report unusual illnesses or deaths to health authorities.

NCDC funding crisis

The House of Representatives on Tuesday expressed concern over what it described as a critical funding crisis facing the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, warning that the agency’s ability to respond to a possible Ebola outbreak and other epidemics has been severely weakened.

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The concern followed a motion on a matter of urgent national importance sponsored by the member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, Amobi Ogah.

Presenting the motion, Ogah said recent developments in Central Africa have heightened the need for Nigeria to strengthen its disease surveillance and emergency response systems.

He noted that on May 15, 2026, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported an outbreak of Ebola disease in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, involving the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

According to him, the outbreak posed a significant threat to countries across the continent, including Nigeria.

He recalled that on May 25, 2026, the NCDC placed Nigeria on high alert over the risk of Ebola importation and announced measures to strengthen preparedness nationwide.

Ogah, however, questioned the agency’s ability to deliver on those assurances in the face of severe financial constraints.

“It is known that the NCDC received no operational funding in 2025, with no capital releases made to date against the approved 2026 allocation.

“Furthermore, the overhead releases are highly epileptic and grossly inadequate, which is in direct violation of basic international standards and constitutes an abuse of the Appropriations Acts.

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“How then can the preparedness of the centre for emergencies be guaranteed?” he asked.

The lawmaker warned that dwindling government releases and declining donor support have significantly undermined the country’s health security architecture.

He said the funding shortfall had left the agency struggling to meet critical obligations, including outbreak preparedness, laboratory services, surveillance operations and emergency response activities.

“It is extremely disturbing to note that, at present, this prolonged funding gap has critically constrained core national functions, including outbreak response operations, laboratory services, surveillance systems, logistics coordination, and frontline emergency preparedness activities in Nigeria,” he said.

Ogah painted a grim picture of conditions within the NCDC, listing unpaid contractors, stalled laboratory and treatment centre projects, shortages of diagnostic materials, weak biosafety infrastructure and inadequate emergency response capacity among the challenges confronting the agency.

According to him, “Laboratory reagents, consumables, and other materials critical for outbreak screening and diagnosis are almost completely out of stock.”

Nigeria gained international recognition for its swift containment of the Ebola outbreak that entered the country in 2014 through an infected traveller from Liberia.

Public health experts have since warned that sustaining such response capacity requires consistent investment in disease surveillance, laboratory networks and emergency preparedness systems.

Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the executive arm of government to immediately release adequate funds appropriated for the NCDC to enable the agency to settle outstanding liabilities and maintain seamless operations.

The lawmakers also called on port health authorities to intensify cross-border surveillance and screening measures to prevent the entry of infected persons into the country.

In addition, the House mandated its Committee on Infectious Diseases to monitor the utilisation of released funds and report back for further legislative action, while the Committee on Legislative Compliance was directed to ensure strict implementation of the resolutions.

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