May 24, 2026
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention,NCDC, has placed the country on heightened Ebola alert, warning that Nigeria faces a high risk of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD importation amid the worsening outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo ,DRC,and Uganda.
Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this in an emergency preparedness update issued on Saturday, revealing that although Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed Ebola case linked to the ongoing regional outbreak, authorities have activated nationwide surveillance and response mechanisms to prevent a possible outbreak.
The agency said its latest dynamic risk assessment identified international travel, population movement, porous borders, and delayed symptom recognition as major factors increasing Nigeria’s vulnerability.
“The assessment estimated the risk of Ebola importation into Nigeria as high due to ongoing transmission in the DRC and Uganda, international travel and population movement, uncertainty regarding the full magnitude of the outbreak, and possible delayed recognition because symptoms may overlap with malaria and Lassa fever,” the statement said.
