After BusinessDay’s report showing loopholes in surveillance at Lagos and Abuja airports after the breakout of Ebola, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Lagos State Government health officials, and Port Health Services have reinforced measures to prevent the importation and spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) through the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, following a joint inspection of the airport’s preparedness facilities.
BusinessDay had reported that despite official assurances from FAAN that surveillance and screening have been aggressively intensified at the nation’s gateways, operations at departure terminals were proceeding largely as normal with glaring gaps in pre-flight screening.
BusinessDay’s findings at both the Lagos and Abuja airport terminals revealed a stark contrast between official public health directives and on-the-ground execution.
While arriving international passengers face functional containment bottlenecks, departing travellers are passing through standard security channels with no visible health surveillance or Ebola-related checks.
However in a statement by FAAN on Sunday, it stated that the recent inspection was conducted to assess the airport’s readiness to detect, monitor, and respond to any potential Ebola threat, particularly in light of recent developments surrounding the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
